Eight police vehicles remain in limbo four months after delivery to a local dealership, but Richmond Common Council’s president says a solution is coming.
Richmond Police Department ordered eight Ford Explorer Police Interceptors last fall. Wetzel Ford received them in January, but the 2026 budget did not include funding, leaving the vehicles on the lot.
Council is working to complete the purchase rather than leave Wetzel Ford holding about $400,000 in inventory. Council President Justin Burkhardt said City Attorney A.J. Sickmann is drafting an ordinance while Controller Tracy McGinnis identifies funding in police and mayoral budgets.
“We are in the process of getting those cars acquired,” Burkhardt said. “That’s the only acceptable way forward.”
Burkhardt supports buying locally and replacing fleet vehicles but said the order appears to have bypassed required bidding. He said the process must comply with city policy and law.
“I want to make sure the taxpayers know what happened, how it happened and why it happened, and I want to take care of a local business,” Burkhardt said.
During 2026 budget discussions, council rejected Mayor Ron Oler’s proposal that relied on about $2 million in surplus 2025 funds. Oler then tasked strategic initiatives director Beth Fields with revising the budget to balance it.
Wetzel documentation shows a Sept. 25 letter from RPD Major Adam Blanton requesting the vehicles as part of the department’s 2026 budget request. Wetzel executive vice president Jera Schwer said the letter mirrored a 2024 request that led to a completed purchase, so the dealership ordered the vehicles.
At an Oct. 15 meeting, Fields told council the vehicles were removed from the capital development fund to help balance the general fund.
“That move was something that we had to do in order to allow us to fully fund and balance the general fund,” Fields said during the meeting.
Council member Jerry Purcell noted at the time that RPD needs to replace about 16 vehicles annually. Fields said then that the need remains but could not be met in the current budget.
The mayor’s office said in a news release that RPD did not inform Wetzel after the Oct. 30 budget cut. Wetzel notified RPD Jan. 2 that the vehicles had arrived; RPD responded Jan. 15 that funding was unavailable but might be found.
After Purcell raised the issue publicly April 23, the mayor’s office said RPD purchasing protocols have been updated and the city is helping Wetzel find buyers.
Burkhardt called that plan unacceptable, saying Wetzel should not bear the consequences of the mistake.
Purcell also shared an April 15 email in which Blanton accused Purcell and Burkhardt of putting personal issues ahead of police needs. Burkhardt called the accusations inappropriate.
Schwer said the dealership has waited to see if the city would complete the purchase. Oler has proposed buying two vehicles and contacted other Indiana mayors about the rest, generating some interest, she said, though Wetzel prefers to sell locally.
“We want to see them go to RPD, because there’s a need for them in Richmond,” Schwer said. “We’d love for them to stay local, but if they can’t, we’ll figure it out and sell them somewhere.”
Contrary to another media report, Schwer emphasized that Wetzel never thought about suing the city or RPD. “We are a great supporter of RPD,” she said. “We have no hard feelings.”
Burkhardt added the issue to council’s May 4 meeting agenda. Police Chief Kyle Weatherly said he and Blanton would not attend.
A version of this article will appear in the May 6 2026 print edition of the Western Wayne News.