WELCOME — Mingo Junction Police Chief Willie McKenzie III stood on Tuesday with Devon Losee, a former Licking County Sheriff’s Department deputy who will start as a part-time police officer in Mingo Junction in about a week. -- Christopher Dacanay

MINGO JUNCTION — It took some bargaining, but the Mingo Junction Police Department secured village council’s approval on Tuesday to purchase an additional cruiser.

Council OK’d Police Chief Willie McKenzie III to take $5,000 out of two police department funds to purchase a decommissioned Steubenville Police Department cruiser. Not all of McKenzie’s asks were met, and the cruiser will likely sit until next year when the MJPD can put up remaining funding to get the cruiser commissioned as an official department vehicle.

Ongoing for some time, McKenzie’s requests for another cruiser have been met with concerns from council, stemming from financial hardships the village is expected to face next year.

Mingo Junction voters approved an additional 1 percent income tax in the Nov. 5 general election, but revenue won’t start appearing until 2026. Thus, council lately has been reaffirming the need to cut back on expenses, shoring up ahead of 2025, which officials expect to be difficult.

McKenzie told council during its regular meeting Tuesday that the MJPD has reached out to multiple other departments in search of a cruiser they’d be willing to donate. Steubenville has a number of retired vehicles, he said, one of which is a 2017 Ford Explorer with 96,000 total miles on the odometer.

Officers had the vehicle inspected and found no issues with the engine but some minor parts that need to be replaced, McKenzie said. Although it would need new decals, the car already comes with amenities like a light bar, control module, rear prisoner cage and dash cam, McKenzie said, making the purchase “basically a no-brainer.”

“This would help us be able to enforce the streets of Mingo, be able to respond to calls whenever necessary and also use that as a backup cruiser whenever we need it.”

The total cost to get the vehicle ready and usable would be about $12,000. To cover that, McKenzie asked for $3,500 from the department’s education fund, $1,500 from the ammunition fund and at least $8,000 from the wages fund.

Despite McKenzie’s claim that the department is “going pretty good” on wages, Councilwoman Jodilynn Fitzgerald questioned the supposed need for another vehicle, especially since the department has four cruisers — counting a Ford Crown Victoria.

There is currently a cruiser for every officer, McKenzie said, but if something goes wrong with one, then the department would be in a dilemma.

Patrol Officer Blayke Malone said that officers sharing a vehicle can result in “hot seating,” or the build-up of wear and tear through constant use. He added that the village would benefit from making the purchase now while funds are available, rather than worrying next year about the same purchase if another vehicle malfunctions but funds are tight.

Speaking of the village’s revitalization prospects, Malone said, “If we want to grow … (and get) businesses back here, they need to know that they have a law enforcement presence, not only in the day, not only in the afternoon but also at night. So yes, an extra cruiser is essential. … We need reliable backups.”

But the suggested impact on wages remained a sticking point, with Fitzgerald saying that another $8,000 will be needed next year, particularly if the department plans to hire another officer.

McKenzie offered to take $5,000 out of education and ammunition to simply purchase the vehicle and post it outside the city building until remaining funds can be acquired — the strategy for which remained undetermined. KcKenzie acknowledged that what’s taken from those funds will not be restored next year but said he’s more concerned with obtaining the vehicle.

“Five-thousand dollars is not a lot of money, but when you don’t know how much we’re going to have coming in next year, (it makes a difference,” Fitzgerald said.

Councilman Mark Baker motioned to approve McKenzie’s expenditure, which the rest of council ultimately stood behind.

“Let’s support the police department and residents of Mingo Junction,” Baker said. “I don’t want it going outside this village that we (don’t care) about our residents, … and they voted for our levies. This way we can have our police chief and our officers with the right equipment to protect out citizens in Mingo.”

In other business:

• The police department’s Cops and Cruisers for Christmas event will take place Dec. 12 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., McKenzie said. Donations are being sought, and parents can sign up their children by visiting the police department or village water department office until Nov. 6.

• McKenzie introduced the department’s newest applicant, Devon Losee, to council. Losee, who beforehand served four months in the Licking County Sheriff’s Department, will begin part-time with the MJPD in about a week.

• Mannarino inquired about establishing an ordinance requiring new businesses to have an asphalt or cement driveway and existing businesses to obtain one within five years — prompted by Commercial Street businesses that she claimed are dirtying nearby houses because of their gravel driveways. Brettell said such an ordinance would scare away businesses, and Ruckman said she and Corrigan would ask current businesses to be more mindful.

• Council thanked Jeffrey Schuetz of Schuetz Funeral Home for his contributions to the village, namely the recent Halloween in Mingo bash, but resolved not to host the party on the same day as trick-or-treating in the village going forward — motivated by residents’ complaints that certain streets were too busy last time.