NORWICH – The City of Norwich Common Council approved the purchase of a new vehicle for the City Code Enforcement Office at their December meeting. The city authorized the purchase of a 2008 used cargo van for the department.

Last month, City of Norwich Code Enforcement Officer Jason Lawrence told members of the Public Works / Public Safety committee that the codes vehicle had experienced a major system failure and would not be repaired. In the past, the department had also utilized a fire department car as a back-up vehicle, but that car is also currently out of service. While the fire vehicle will be repaired, other vehicles are a higher priority.

After some discussion, the Public Safety / Public Works committee decided to recommend that a truck currently owned by the Water Department be sold to the general fund for $8,000.

At the council meeting, a different vehicle was discussed. The council discussed purchasing a cargo van from Christman Motors for $18,000. First Ward Alderman Robert Carey asked Lawrence what had changed between the two meetings. “At the Public Works meeting, our discussion was about purchasing a pickup truck from the water department for $8,000. Now the resolution brought is for a cargo van that costs an additional $10,000. Three weeks ago, it was expressed that a one-ton pickup would suffice,” Carey said.