Lake Forest Park committee reviews fleet-replacement plan, funding split for vehicle reserve

The Lake Forest Park Budget & Finance Committee on Wednesday reviewed a multi-year plan to replace aging police and public-works vehicles and to formalize how the city will finance those purchases.

City officials said many city vehicles have exceeded recommended service life and that rising fuel and maintenance costs, plus six- to 12-month lead times for new units, make orderly replacement a priority. "Many of our vehicles exceed the service life and the mileage limits," the Police Chief said when he opened the department's fleet presentation.

The committee discussion centered on three near-term and longer-term elements: which vehicles to replace immediately, how to allocate existing replacement funds, and how to phase in hybrid and electric vehicles (EVs) over time. Administration materials show the city's fleet at 18 vehicles total: 10 patrol cars, five administrative/detective vehicles, and three other units (an emergency-management vehicle, a transport van and a canine/crime-watch vehicle). Staff identified an immediate need to replace four vehicles (three patrol vehicles and one transport van) and discussed buying two additional traffic-focused units through the traffic safety fund (referred to in materials as fund 002).

The finance director walked the committee through a proposed accounting approach for the…