“With a $6,000 federal grant as leverage, Langley Police Chief Bob Herzberg had little trouble Wednesday night convincing the city council to allow him to purchase the city’s second new police car inside of a year.Herzberg told the council that he applied for the federal equipment grant earlier in the year, but had not believed that his department could get it since it has received equipment grants in each of the past three years. When the money showed up last week, he said it was a pleasant surprise. The police department operates four police cars, the oldest being a 1993 Ford Taurus that Herzberg himself drives. The chief told the council that by using the grant money plus $16,000 in the police department’s vehicle replacement fund, the city could purchase a new car to replace the Taurus.It is tired, he said of the old car.Herzberg was careful to point out that he could nurse his car along for another year or two should the council choose not to spend the vehicle replacement money this year. However, he said, the grant money has to be spent during 2001, or it must be returned to the federal government. Using the grant would save the city 29 percent on the purchase price.Herzberg received little resistance to his request. Council member Dione Murray asked him if he felt purchasing a new car was the best way to spend the grant. Herzberg said it is. Purchasing the new car would allow the department to retire the 1993 Taurus, which would make the oldest car in the department’s fleet a 1995 Taurus that has 90,000 miles on it.We’ll be in the very best shape we’ve been in, Herzberg said.The council voted 5-0 to approve the car purchase. The city will order the car through the Washington state vehicle pool this month. Herzberg expects to receive the car by summer. Little additional police equipment will have to be purchased for the car, since most of the equipment in the Taurus can be transferred to the new car. “