Mattawa City Council approves radios for new police vehicles

MATTAWA — Mattawa City Council on Thursday approved the purchase of mobile radios for three new Mattawa Police Department vehicles, with council members Tony Acosta and Wendy Lopez voting “no.”

“I understand that the patrol cars need the radios,” Acosta said. “We have an emergency proclamation in place. Is it a necessary expenditure at the moment?”

At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Mattawa City Council passed an emergency proclamation that included the closure of city hall to the public and prohibited the purchase of items by the city. Recently, the council reaffirmed the emergency proclamation.

If a department head deems a purchase a necessity, they must make their case to the mayor, who will bring the item to council. Mattawa Mayor Maggie Celaya said she reviewed the purchase request and it was needed.

Mattawa Police Chief Joe Harris said the mobile radios were included in the 2021 budget.

“I was expecting to make these purchases,” Harris said.

The mobile radios the police department currently has are all installed in other police vehicles. In addition, the radios reached the end of their life and are no longer serviced by the manufacturer, according to Harris. The new mobile radios are estimated to last between 15 and 20 years and are recommended by the 911 call center for Grant County.

Acosta and Lopez also opposed amending the purchase date for five portable radios from the 2020 budget year to 2021. The portable radios were approved at the end of 2020. But due to a delay by the manufacturer, the bill and the radios didn’t arrive until 2021.

Acosta and Lopez opposed an additional $1,062.93 of spending over the quoted price on the outfitting of the new police vehicles. Lopez also opposed an ordinance creating a separate fund for leasing the new police vehicles. The two council members did not offer an explanation during the meeting on their votes.

However, they approved a payment deferment by the Wahluke School District for the second SRO (school resource officer). Because of COVID-19, the police department was unable to train to provide the Wahluke School District with a second SRO, as was in the contract. However, the school district was paying for the second SRO.

To make things right with the school district, the Mattawa City Council voted to allow the school district to quit paying for the second SRO and to defer the payments until February 2021. Harris is hoping to provide the school district with the second SRO by the beginning of the 2021-22 school year.