The city of Soldotna purchased two police interceptors for its fleet. The Ford Explorer Police Vehicles were purchased in alignment with a long-term plan to replace the Soldotna Police Department’s current rear-wheel drive fleet with all-wheel drive vehicles. Kendall Ford in Wasilla was awarded the contract for about $55,000 total.

The original timeline was to replace one of the cars this budget year, said City Manager Mark Dixson. However, the schedule was increased to two through the operating budget so the department could upgrade its fleet faster.

Soldotna municipal code requires the city to either enter a purchase contract through its own bid process or it may purchase through the State Contracts process available through the State of Alaska Department of General Services, Dixson said. The state process will locate the lowest bid 99 times out of 100, he said.

The State of Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities, State Equipment Fleet website maintains a list of competitive prices for city vehicles, according to the resolution.

Quotes also were received from local businesses, according to a memo from Soldotna Chief of Police Peter Mlynarik.

The vehicles scheduled to be replaced will be assessed and, depending on their condition, will either be transferred and utilized in other departments, or auctioned off through a Kenai Peninsula Borough public auction this fall, Dixson said.

Two Ford Explorers the city purchased last year were put into service in mid-spring, which is likely when the new ones will be ready for use in 2015, said Soldotna Maintenance Manager Scott Sundberg.