Spirit Lake officials debate squad car purchase

Posted: Monday, Nov 03, 2008 - 10:59:23 pm PST
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By TOM HASSLINGER
Staff writer 

City Council members say police chief, mayor did not follow agreement

SPIRIT LAKE -- A 2005 all-wheel drive Dodge Magnum has four-run to the front of controversy for Spirit Lake City Council.

So much so, the four-member board broke into executive session during a special call meeting Monday night to discuss personnel matters behind the go-ahead for a pair of contracts which just last month nearly bound the town into purchasing a third vehicle for $13,260 for the city's police department.

"To me, there seems to be a whole bunch of lying going on here," Council member Bill Erickson said to The Press Monday before the meeting. "The mayor just can't brush this off."

Now, more than a handful of residents and council members in the tiny lakeside community north of Rathdrum question the legality of what they perceive as makeshift contracts between Mayor Roxy Martin and Police Chief Wiley Ronnenberg, which tried to green light the vehicle's purchase for the city, a purchase to which council never agreed.

"I won't purchase that vehicle," Erickson said. The contract needs three out of four council member signatures to pass. "I will not."

The issue stems from the Magnum Ronnenberg privately purchased from Spalding Auto Parts, a wrecking yard in Spokane. Ronnenberg restored the car in hopes of selling it back to the city for cost so the police department could use it as the city's third patrol vehicle.

The police chief had helped the city purchase cars twice before in the last few years, but this time around, some council members were upset when they found out this car had been completely totaled. They felt even with it fully rebuilt, the wrecking yard car could prove a liability for the city down the line should an accident occur.

They were also upset that the car had been purchased by Ronnenberg given the fact that they had not budgeted for a new vehicle during a budget workshop back in July, council member Shelley Tschida said, and what's worse, that the city tried to forge inaccurate contracts to make the purchase legal.

The first contract council saw listed Ronnenberg as a private seller. When council questioned the legality of a private purchase for a police car, a second contract was produced listing Ronnenberg as a representative of Insurance Auto Auctions Dealer, but the dealer number on the contract didn't match any dealer from Idaho or Washington state, Tschida said, which led to Monday's special call meeting.

Ronnenberg, Martin and City Attorney Nancy Stricklin denied the accusations leading up to Monday's meeting, claiming the process for which the city obtained the car was legal.

Ronnenberg said it was within his decision to move forward if he found a car which fit under the police department's budget.

"We've done everything by the books," Ronnenberg said on Friday, adding he does not make a profit on restoring and reselling the car.

Back in July's budget session, council did tell Ronnenberg if the police department could fit a used-vehicle under the department's budget, to go ahead and pursue it.

Tschida said the statement should have been interpreted that if Ronnenberg found a way of obtaining the car, he would present the possibility back to council, which would vote on the expenditure, as it does on many of its budgeted items.

"It was an error in judgment on our part," Tschida said. "The mayor and chief of police took creative license with our agreement."

"This doesn't need to be an issue," Stricklin said. "This was agreed to by the council."

Still, the group called the meeting on Monday then quickly broke into executive session -- a private meeting reserved for only city officials regarding personnel matters -- to discuss personnel decisions leading up to the contracts.

"I believe what's really upsetting to certain members of the council and the community is the worry that council was asked to sign off on a known fraudulent document," Erickson said.

After more than an hour of closed-door discussion, the meeting returned to open forum, which council then adjourned. Per city protocol, council and the mayor declined comment on the closed meeting, but Martin said the contract for a squad car would likely be visited for the public during its next council meeting Nov. 18.

Meanwhile, the squad car will remain parked while the city sorts out what will happen to it, Martin said.

"It's a misunderstanding," she said following the meeting. "We don't have a signed contract. There is no contract. If (the city agrees on) a contract then it will be worked out in a public forum."