City warns of aging fleet, cites charging infrastructure as key barrier to expanded electric vehicle purchases

Deputy Administrator Aaron Parrish and fleet staff briefed the council on the condition of the city’s equipment-revolving fund, vehicle replacement backlogs and the operational constraints that limit a rapid shift to electric vehicles (EVs).

Nut graf: Parrish said the city’s vehicle portfolio has a depreciated asset base and that prior underinvestment in replacement, combined with rising vehicle and equipment prices, has left the equipment fund behind schedule. He said the principal constraint on accelerating EV adoption is charging infrastructure at city facilities and that planning and electrical upgrades will be required to expand EV purchases beyond pilot levels.

Fund condition and capital pressures: Parrish said the city’s fleet bookkeeping shows a depreciation amount of roughly $49,000,000 for the asset portfolio, while about $17,000,000 of equipment is fully depreciated. He described prior years when replacement purchases exceeded annual depreciation and said that practice drew down fund balance; the result, he said, is a backlog of assets that have exceeded useful life and a growing gap between depreciated values and replacement costs. Parrish used examples: a modern plow-truck replacement cost versus older depreciation; major purchases such as fire…