FLUSHING — Village Council on Thursday authorized the village administrator to spend up to $10,000 on a used police SUV for his use.

Village Administrator Bryan Clark informed council during a scheduled council meeting that it was time to retire the village’s old blue plow truck.

“There’s a broken part on the front axle and to replace it you’d have to replace the whole axle and the truck’s just not worth it. The body’s shot. It’s worn out,” Clark said.

Clark said his plan was to give up the village truck he currently drives to essentially replace the blue truck and be the primary plow truck and that he would like for the village to purchase a used police interceptor SUV for his use.

Clark explained that a used police interceptor would have a full service record, a laptop mount, and tinted windows to hide the equipment he carries to test water.

He went on to say that he had recently looked at one in Youngstown that he thought would meet their needs for $8,900, but that it had been sold in the meantime.

Clark proposed that council authorize him to spend up to $10,000 on a used police interceptor SUV, saying that he knew of two others that are available right now and he didn’t want to miss out on one while waiting for approval from council.

When asked by Councilman Steve Ronyak about funding the purchase, Fiscal Officer Jeryl McGaffick said that when initially looking into the matter for Clark she had been able to come up with $8,000, with $3,000 coming from the water fund, $3,000 from the sewer fund, and $2,000 from street and alley.

“If we go with $10,000 the other $2,000 will have to come from the general fund,” said McGaffick, adding later, “I know we are not going to have the $70,000 it would take to buy another truck, so if he can make due with a used SUV…”

Councilman Thomas Spano commented that an SUV would be easier on gas than the truck when Clark has to travel for training and other village business.

Councilman David Coe asked about Clark using the village’s extra police car, but McGaffick said it was purchased with police levy funds so it is not permissible.

Clark and Councilwoman Sandy Twarog agreed that the village needed to have that available in hopes of eventually getting a second officer in the village.

Ronyak asked, “How much grief are we going to catch for buying an SUV?”

“We’re going to get grief no matter what we do,” Clark responded. “But I’ll tell ya, we get more grief when they see both of our guys riding in one truck.”

Mayor Tom Bober asked about using American Rescue Plan funds, but McGaffick said that was for infrastructure and a vehicle purchase would not qualify.

After some further discussion that included Twarog getting assurance from McGaffick that she was comfortable with the purchase, Ronyak made the motion to authorize Clark to spend up to $10,000 on a used police interceptor SUV.

The motion passed with a 4-0 vote as Councilmen Preston Eberhart and Chad Sutton were both absent from the meeting.

Meanwhile, Coe asked that Clark and village crews do something about the potholes in an alley off of Pearl Street that had been discussed during the May meeting.

Twarog expressed her dismay at the state of Schuler Park and asked Clark to have some attention paid there.

Clark said he and village crews would be repairing the sidewalk by the former school property and Dollar General, even though Dollar General is responsible for its own sidewalk, saying, “Let’s just do it and be done with it. That way the heat’s off of us.”

In other business, council passed a resolution authorizing Robert Gentile to extend the village waterlines to service his residence outside the village at his expense and under supervision of a village official.

McGaffick noted that she had received a donation from Mr. and Mrs. Chuck Nucci to go toward the rental lift that was needed to put up the veterans’ banners around the village, for which Bober expressed his appreciation.

Flushing Village Council meets at 6 p.m. on the second Thursday of each month in the village offices on High Street.