"Luxury purchase" - "cheek" Zurich village buys police car even though the money is still missing

The Zurich municipality of Egg buys a new police car. The RPK is up in arms - because the car has already been bought, even though the budget debate is still ongoing.

In the Zurich municipality of Egg, the purchase of a new police car for CHF 167,000 is causing heated discussions. The BMW vehicle has already been ordered and has been in use for two weeks, although budget discussions are still ongoing, reports the "Zürcher Oberländer".

"It's cheeky of the municipal council to simply put the car on the road," criticized Beat Rüegg (SVP), President of the Audit Committee (RPK). He describes the vehicle as a "luxury purchase" and points to cheaper alternatives such as a Skoda for CHF 80,000.

Municipal president Tobias Bolliger (FDP) defends the decision: The cost of a police car could not be compared with that of a private car and the municipal council was allowed to make such purchases on its own authority. In addition, the municipal police are involved in regional operations and need a powerful vehicle.

Nevertheless, Bolliger admits that the 2024 budget initially only included leasing costs of CHF 15,000, which led to misunderstandings. In fact, the annual leasing fees amount to CHF 30,000.

RPK motion rejected

At the municipal assembly, the RPK proposed ending the lease and procuring a cheaper vehicle. This would mean terminating the existing contract and concluding a new one. However, one voter, who himself has worked for the cantonal police for 40 years, disagreed with the criticism: the municipal police are closely involved in the work of the cantonal police and also help out in surrounding municipalities, which requires a reliable vehicle.

In the end, the municipal assembly voted against the RPK's proposal by 52 votes to 31. The dispute over the police car has thus been settled - at least for the time being.