The Westbrook Police Department will be getting new patrol cars later this year thanks to a vote by the City Council authorizing the city to seek bids for three replacement cruisers.

The council voted 6-0, with Councilor Gary Groves absent from the meeting, to authorize the city to seek bids for the marked police cars to replace three of the oldest vehicles in the department’s fleet.

City Administrator Jerre Bryant said the bids would be contingent on the final approval of the 2005-2006 budget. He said the cost of one replacement car was included in the 2004-2005 budget, and there are two more cars proposed in the upcoming budget. Bryant said the city has budgeted approximately $23,000 per replacement car.

Bryant told councilors that the city would write the bid documents so the city would not be obligated to purchase all three cars if the money to purchase them was reduced or eliminated from the 2005-2006 budget. He said the city would have the flexibility to purchase just one or two cars if the situation arises.

Bryant said that in the interest of keeping budgets in line, the city has cut back on replacing police vehicles, and the time has come to replace some of the oldest vehicles. Police Chief Paul McCarthy said these vehicles would be the only new patrol cars purchased for the next two fiscal years.

While it is unusual for the city to seek bids for large items such as vehicles before the budget is approved, Bryant explained that the administration wanted to get the process moving as quickly as possible so the city could purchase the vehicles in July when the new budget is adopted.

In other news, the City Council’s Finance Committee has established dates for its hearings on the proposed 2005-2006 budget. Bryant said the committee would meet on May 9, 10, 19 and 23. All meetings are scheduled for 7 p.m. in room 114 at Westbrook High School and they will be televised on Channel 3. As of press time, the specific agendas for the meetings have not been set, but Bryant said that they will be posted on the city’s Web site at www.westbrookmaine.com.