IRON MOUNTAIN — Four police squad cars in Iron Mountain will be equipped with printers at a first-year cost of $8,168 as the city moves away from handwritten citations.

The city council approved the purchase Monday, including a continued annual cost of $572.

Director of Police and Fire Services Jeff Solka said the price of handwritten citations has increased, reaching about $1.30 per citation. The initial cost for the new system includes four eCitation printers at an installed cost of $4,416, plus $3,180 for programming and $572 for the first year of support and maintenance.

The Brothers VehiclePro 420 printers the city is buying are “relatively small,” Solka told the council. They will be placed in the department’s four squad cars that have computers.

“LexisNexis eCitation will not completely eliminate the use of handwritten citations but will greatly reduce them,” Solka said. A box of 500 citations now lasts a year or less, he noted.

Quotes were also solicited from two other printer manufacturers through Elcom Systems of Marquette. Elcom’s total installation charge of $690 is included in the purchase cost.

In other action, the city council:

— Opened bids from five dealers that responded to the city’s request to buy a used backhoe no more than five years old. The bids ranging from $79,900 to $143,100 will be reviewed by city staff and the council’s infrastructure committee. The city has about $138,000 set aside for the acquisition. The public works department has a 2001 backhoe that could be auctioned once a replacement is found.

— Will continue to explore options for acquiring a used half-ton pickup truck for public works, including a review of bids from Town & Country Sales of Quinnesec. About $35,000 is available, City Manager Jordan Stanchina said.

— Authorized publication of a notice of intent to issue bonds associated with the city’s planned $13.3 million water project, which includes replacement of 12,570 feet of water mains, service lines, valves and hydrants. Financing includes a $10.64 million loan at 2% interest from Michigan’s Drinking Water State Revolving Fund, plus a $2.666 million grant from the same source. Project areas include West A, West Hughitt and East C streets, along with Walker and Fairbanks streets. Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone PLC of Detroit is serving as bond counsel.

— Scheduled a public hearing for 6 p.m. Monday, Feb. 17, on a 10-year lease renewal for Mountain View Ice Arena Inc. The city leases land for the arena to the non-profit organization, which is responsible for use and maintenance. There is a nominal $1 annual fee. The only proposed change is language that allows for an automatic 10-year renewal unless either party objects.

— Learned that a direct fiber internet connection through Peninsula Fiber Network has been installed, as approved by the council in May to provide direct internet access for all city departments. The new service is expected to be more reliable and ensure compliance for accessing the Law Enforcement Information Network. The cost is $335 a month, locked in for five years. The former cost through Spectrum, now discontinued, was $240 per month for a shared-access bandwith.