Fortuna’s City Council voted 5-0 on March 16 to advance a U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development Loan and Grant Assistance Program application for police vehicles after staff described an aging patrol fleet.
The council pulled the item from the consent calendar for discussion before approving the application. According to the meeting summary, police staff told council members that several patrol cars have more than 100,000 miles and that two can no longer be repaired. The application would seek $50,000 toward two fully outfitted patrol cars, with an estimated city share of $116,928.
The grant application was one of several actions the council took at the March 16 regular meeting. In a separate special meeting earlier that evening, the council also approved a State Community Development Block Grant application for the 2025 funding year.
The police vehicle application was approved after council members separated it from the rest of the consent calendar and discussed the department’s need for replacements, according to the meeting summary. The available record does not say when USDA Rural Development will act on the application or whether the grant is competitive.
