A move to purchase five new vehicles for the Brewton Police Department failed Monday.
The department had hoped to surplus five 2007-2008 Ford Crown Victoria patrol cars and replenish the fleet with five Chevrolet Tahoes with police pursuit packages.
Bids were requested, with the lowest bid submitted by Peach Chevrolet for $153,685.
Councilmen Joe Watson and Fred Barton vetoed the measure, while Councilman Frank Cotten – an employee at Peach Motors – abstained. Mayor Yank Lovelace and Councilman Pat Poole voted “yes.”
Both Watson and Barton attributed their votes to a “lack of information.”
“We’re not saying that the police department doesn’t need the vehicles,” Watson said. “We just want more information, like how we’re going to pay for them, before we vote.”