With a tough economy and a two percent tax cap, it's difficult for municipalities to replace their aging vehicle fleets. But in the Town of Geddes, the cost of repairs has pushed officials to make the move. As our Katie Gibas explains, town officials say they're getting five new cars because repairs are costing nearly as much as a new car payment.

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GEDDES, N.Y. -- To say replacing an aging fleet of police vehicles is tough would be an understatement.

"We've held off for the last four years. We haven't replaced anything. No highway equipment, no police car," said Manny Falcone, the Geddes Town Supervisor.

But Falcone says they can't delay any further. The town will be replacing five police cars. All the vehicles are around ten years old and have between 80,000 and 100,000 miles on them.

"Unfortunately, it caught up to us. The repairs are there and it's just not cost effective anymore. We had to make a move sometime, but unfortunately, it came to a head. We had to do it," said Falcone.

While the upfront cost of replacing these vehicles might be of some concern to tax payers, Falcone says it's really about the same price they would pay to make all the necessary repairs on the older vehicles.

"The cost to keep them on the road is killing us now between transmissions and brakes and everything that's going on, it's just not normal wear and tear anymore," said Falcone.

And the cost to buy the new cars is between $40,000 and $50,000 per year for the next four years. But Falcone says the money saved in maintenance and reductions in police overtime should limit what tax payers feel in their wallets.

The vehicles should be ready in the next week or two. The town supervisor says he's willing to meet with anyone who has concerns about the purchase.