The City Council of Belen, N.M., has voted to re-authorize take-home vehicles for current police officers two weeks after the perk was voted to be eliminated, according to the News-Bulletin.
On Dec. 6, council memebrs voted to eliminate take-home vehicles for 10 officers who live outside Valencia County to save money on fuel and operating costs. The move was expected to save the city $8,500 and would have been effective Jan. 1.
The unanimous vote came after Belen Police Chief Dan Robb proposed to trim his budget to offset the money that the city would have saved by taking away the vehicles. He said the department could switch to 12-hour shifts to save on fuel costs, according to the newspaper.
