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So the council gave Bell about $700,000 of federal American Rescue Plan Act money so he could bolster his depleted roster of prosecutors.

Then in September 鈥� after hiring only about half the attorneys and staffers for which he received funding 鈥斅燘ell found $130,000 in another fund for employee salaries and used it to buy two new SUVs.

Those vehicles are both聽four-wheel-drive Ford Expeditions equipped with the special law-enforcement option packages.

One of the two vehicles will go to Bell personally, a $69,964 Expedition Limited.聽

The other SUV is a $60,494 Expedition XLT that will be used to replace a vehicle used by Clay Farmer, who makes more than $98,000 a year as Bell鈥檚 director of community engagement.

Unlike聽Bell鈥檚 wheels, the car to be assigned to Farmer does not have the leather seats and trim option, or the heated/ventilated captain鈥檚 chairs in front.

The vehicles were ordered Sept. 9 from Joe Machens Ford in Columbia, Mo. and the prosecutor鈥檚 office is awaiting delivery.

Chris King, a spokesperson for Bell鈥檚 office, said Monday in a statement: 鈥淢oving unused funds from one budget to areas of need in other budgets is within county rules and was approved by the county budget department prior to doing so.鈥�

The expenditure did draw some pointed comments Thursday from Councilmen聽Tim Fitch, R-3rd District, and Mark Harder, R-7th District.

Both men sit on the council鈥檚 budget committee, which heard Bell鈥檚 request for a 12% overall increase in his 2023 budget, at a time when the county is dealing with a revenue shortfall.

Harder questioned using money earmarked for paying employees to instead buy new vehicles, especially with the county facing a revenue shortfall.

鈥淥ur situation is pretty obvious; we鈥檙e out of money,鈥� Harder said.

Bell鈥檚 2023 budget request also seeks $175,000 to buy three vehicles, at an average cost of $58,333 per vehicle.

Fitch on Thursday also asked聽Tim Swope, Bell鈥檚 director of operations, about the September SUV purchases.

鈥淵ou鈥檙e familiar with symbolism, right, what it looks like to the public when we鈥檙e telling them we鈥檙e $50 million in the hole? And then we鈥檙e going to order a vehicle with leather seats, etc.聽鈥斅燼n extra $10,000 we don鈥檛 need to spend.鈥�

鈥淚 get that you had to buy a vehicle, but does it have to be one all decked out?鈥� Fitch said. "That鈥檚 what the public鈥檚 going to ask, that鈥檚 what they demand, that we鈥檙e good stewards of their tax dollars.鈥�

Swope noted that Bell鈥檚 new vehicle will be similar to the one provided to former Prosecuting Attorney Robert McCulloch.

鈥淩espectfully,鈥� Swope said, 鈥淚 wouldn鈥檛 call it all decked out. I would say it鈥檚 a trim-package upgrade.鈥�