The Newburyport City Council on Feb. 18 approved several measures to update police equipment and the police station building. Actions included approval of a four-year lease for two patrol cruisers (Order 670), funding to maintain call-recording for non-emergency lines (Transfer 212), and a free‑cash transfer to replace or repair multiple doors and access hardware at the police station (Transfer 213).

Councilors voted by roll call to approve Order 670, a lease-like financing to acquire two cruisers at roughly $128,000; later votes approved the recording-equipment purchase and a free‑cash door‑upgrade package. Committee members discussed fleet rotation: the department will trade in two backup vehicles and move active units into backup status to integrate the new cruisers. The marshal said the new vehicles will carry higher-visibility markings; two existing cruisers will be re-marked for improved visibility.

The call-recording purchase (Transfer 212) covers a physical recorder and related setup so non-emergency calls continue to be recorded after the state stopped paying those costs. The total hardware cost quoted was $16,750 with recurring annual support costs estimated around $3,000. The vendor was selected from the state contract list.

The door-upgrade package (Transfer 213) drew extended comment because it includes structural and access changes across multiple doors; the contract includes a specific $9,006 line item for the elevator entry, which councilors and the marshal flagged as not ADA-compliant and as affecting fire egress. The total cost for the door and hardware work is $61,518 from general fund free cash.

Council debate reflected two strains: procedural concerns about how the work and prices were presented relative to recently passed city rules on surveillance and access hardware, and substantive concerns about accessibility and safety at the police station. Councilor Macaulay said the timing and the omission of the cost from earlier ordinance materials risked violating the council’s new ordinance requirements for pre‑disclosure of costs. Councilor Donoghue said the elevator door and other access issues have been raised for years and supported completing the full scope to ensure compliance and accessibility.

Other related items approved at the meeting included a transfer for emergency generator repair at the Essex Technical (school-related) building that supports police operations; the committee characterized that as an emergency repair and recommended approval.

What the council approved (summaries): Order 670 — four‑year lease for two cruisers (~$128,000); Transfer 212 — $16,750 for non‑emergency call recording hardware and initial support; Transfer 213 — $61,518 free cash to replace/upgrade police-station doors including elevator entry; Transfer 211 — emergency generator repair funded from Essex Tech funds (amount not specified in meeting summary). Implementation responsibility was assigned to the police department and facilities staff, with follow-up reporting to the Finance and Budget committee as needed.