Forget for a moment the salary of a probationary officer with the Chesterton Police Department. Just getting him or her kitted out and in a squad costs better than $30,000.

At Monday’s Town Council meeting, Police Chief George Nelson received authorization to use CEDIT funds to purchase two new squads and sufficient gear to outfit the pair of new hires earmarked in the 2009 budget recently approved by the Indiana Department of Local Government Finance.

Arnell has quoted a price per car of $26,258.36 for Chevrolet Impalas and $27,201.45 for Dodge Chargers, exclusive of the $2,000 cost of equipping each with mobile radio and laptop computer. Personal equipment, meanwhile, will cost approximately $4,100 per hire: $800 for uniform, $500 for portable radio, $700 to $1,000 for shotgun, $800 to $900 for ballistic vest, and $900 for Taser.

Earlier this year the authorized strength of the CPD was increased from 21 to 26 officers after last year’s successful excess levy appeal, which the DLGF granted with the understanding that more officers will be needed to service several newly annexed areas east of Ind. 49 and south of the Indiana Toll Road.

That excess levy has also made possible the hiring of five new firefighters, who will begin work on a probationary basis on Dec. 1.

In addition, Nelson will use another $9,440 in CEDIT funds to acquire a set of photogrammetry equipment for taking computer-generated three-dimensional images of major crime and accident scenes. After two detectives have been trained on the gear—a cost included in the $9,440—the two to four hours it typically takes to process a scene should be dramatically reduced, Nelson said.

In other business, Street Commissioner John Schnadenberg announced the end—today—of this season’s leaf collection program. A cooperative spell of weather made it the most successful program in years, Schnadenberg said.

The Thanksgiving holiday, he noted, will mean the delay by one day of Thursday and Friday’s refuse and recycling collection routes: Thursday’s route will be collected on Friday, Friday’s on Saturday.

Schnadenberg reported as well that he has found a fleet maintenance software program which will help his mechanics schedule routine maintenance for each of the municipal vehicles in the fleet and track the nature and cost of repairs per vehicle. The program should be in place by the end of the year.

Meanwhile, Fire Chief Mike Orlich said that he would investigate the scrap value of the old aerial truck, after receiving a single offer to purchase it for $5,000: $2,500 less than the minimum price of $7,500, itself reduced from the original minimum price of $10,000.

Orlich did say that the CFD is still paying insurance on the aerial.

At Town Manager Bernie Doyle’s suggestion, the Chesterton/Duneland Chamber of Commerce will get a $100 per month credit on its rent at the old New York Central passenger depot at 220 Broadway, for the space used by Doyle’s administrative assistant.