A Detroit, Michigan, dealer bid $20,000 less than Wetzel Ford to supply Richmond Police Department with six vehicles.
The Richmond Board of Public Works and Safety opened the bids from Bob Maxey Ford and Wetzel Ford during its July 16 meeting. Bob Maxey bid $275,670, and Wetzel Ford bid $295,854. The bidding process includes a local business preference component. The bids were referred to the city’s purchasing department for evaluation and a recommendation.
The bidding requirements for the Ford Explorer police vehicles include only a 10-day delivery period after the contract is awarded. The six vehicles would complete RPD’s purchase of eight vehicles.
Last fall, RPD indicated in a letter to Wetzel Ford — without using a bidding process — its intent to purchase eight vehicles from Wetzel; however, funding for the vehicles was subsequently removed from the 2027 budget. Wetzel was not informed there was no longer funding and received the eight vehicles it ordered in January.
Richmond Common Council appropriated $360,000 from the city’s cash reserves to purchase six vehicles and outfit eight with lights and sirens. Two vehicles were previously purchased from Wetzel Ford using opioid settlement money. Those purchases required just a proposal, rather than bids, because the money came from the city’s share of settlement money collected from opioid manufacturers, distributors and retailers.
At Richmond Fire Department’s request, board members approved a contract with MacQueen Equipment of St. Paul, Minnesota, for a Pierce Saber fire truck. The pumper’s cost $1,110,651; however, Richmond Fire Department plans to prepay in cash with budgeted funds. That earns a $30,034 discount, making the actual purchase price $1,080,617.
RFD expects to receive the truck in April or May after it is built in Bradenton, Florida.
Bids were opened for demolition work at 828 S. Sixth St., 741 S. Fifth St., 1019 N. J St. and 817 N. I St. Jarrett Excavating, Cox Excavating, B&B Construction and Mikesell Excavating submitted bids, and code enforcement took the bids under advisement.
The board awarded Cox Excavating the bid for demolition work at 111 S. 11th St. Cox bid $28,700, the lowest of three bids received. Mikesell Excavating bid $32,970, and B&B Construction bid $35,450.
This reporting was made possible in part by Whitewater Community Television.
A version of this article appeared in the July 22 2026 print edition of the Western Wayne News.
