ROCKWELL — The Rockwell Board of Aldermen approved a purchase of a vehicle for the police chief during the board’s meeting on Monday.

The total cost for the vehicle, a Toyota Camry that will be upgraded to include lights and other police equipment, is $38,481. Police Chief Cody Trexler had brought the issue of the department being one vehicle short during the board’s June meeting, with the police department bringing itself up to fully-staffed status quicker than expected.

“It’s the most fiscally responsible option,” said Trexler.

The vehicle would be a hybrid. Alderman Stephanie Walker asked Trexler if he was comfortable without having back seat space for arrestees, which he said he was used to.

Trexler said during the June meeting that he did not mind driving his personal vehicle in his duties, but the members of the board of aldermen said that they preferred to purchase a new vehicle to avoid any potential liability issues with a town employee using their own vehicle for town business.

The aldermen voted unanimously to approve the vehicle purchase after the discussion.

In other news from the meeting:

• Alderman Dillon Brewer reported that the Rock the Park event did not have as much turnout as expected, putting the number at 2,000 people. Brewer noted that the heat during the event, held on Saturday, June 15, likely contributed to the lower number.
• Brewer reported that the town has partnered with Faith, Granite Quarry and the East Rowan YMCA for summer movie nights, held at the YMCA at 790 Crescent Rd. in Rockwell. The event will be held every Friday night throughout August, except for one which will be on Saturday, August 17 instead of that Friday.
• The board voted to place Alex Palumbo on the town’s planning board.
• The board voted to rejoin the Centralina Regional Council, which provides services to municipalities throughout central North Carolina. The town had left the organization when budget constraints made the annual fees impossible, but Centralina recently reduced the annual rate to approximately $510 to better accommodate the smaller municipalities.