By Greg Nesteroff
The City of Rossland will lease an electric vehicle for its new bylaw enforcement officer but has put the brakes on buying a similar car.
City staff recommended leasing a vehicle for four to six months until a new vehicle can be delivered. Their preferred model for purchase is a 2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E Select with all-wheel drive, at a cost of $63,800 plus GST.
Operations manager Scott Lamont said the inclusion of all-wheel drive was a safety consideration. However, council wondered if a two-wheel drive or four-wheel drive would do.
“The two or three times we need to get down an unplowed road to stop a barking dog doesn’t warrant a Mustang,” said councillor Dirk Lewis.
Councillor Andy Morel said he would prefer a longer lease instead of buying, predicting that in two years more options will become available.
Councillor Chris Bowman said he’s keen to add electric vehicles to the fleet but “would rather tiptoe than jump in,” by starting with a smaller two-wheel drive. He said the city has other four-wheel drives if required.
However, councillor Stewart Spooner argued in favour of the all-wheel drive option, calling it a “safe, sensible choice.” He also wondered whether a two-wheel drive would necessarily be much cheaper. “There is an implicit interpretation that we’re buying more vehicle than we need, when it’s not clear if that’s the reality,” he said.
A motion to buy the recommended vehicle was defeated in a 4-3 vote. Council then approved leasing an electric vehicle in the short term and asked staff to reissue a request for proposals that includes two-wheel and four-wheel drive options.
The city’s new bylaw officer starts Monday.