SALEM, MA - The City of Salem approved a plan Sept. 14 to lease 24 cars for the police department and Town Hall, according to The Eagle Tribune. The City will upgrade the department's fleet of aging Ford Crown Victorias with newer, more fuel-efficient cars.

Under the three-year lease-to-own plan, the town would spend $118,404 and receive 15 new vehicles for the Police Department and nine for Town Hall. Salem will buy the vehicles, except the police cruisers, for $1 at the end of the lease, the Tribune reported.

Part of the plan would include no longer rotating older vehicles into the town fleet of cars, which drives up maintenance costs. The Police Department would receive seven Ford Fusions used by detectives, administrators, and training officers, while Town Hall would lease nine Ford Focuses. The 4-cylinder engines are expected to save the town hundreds of dollars a year through better gas mileage, according to the Tribune. The Police Department would also receive its five cruisers.

The City also plans to lease five trucks for the Department of Public Works, said the Tribune.