Keene staff and a fleet-management vendor presented competing views on whether the city should lease vehicles as part of a broader fleet-management program.

Mary (finance/city secretary) said staff initially compared a purchase plan for five vehicles to a vendor scenario that included 29 vehicles and that the comparison was not an "apples to apples" analysis. "If you put it together, this is what it looks like comparing it, like, column to... In the end, what we can see that if we go with enterprise, we're actually saving money," Mary said, but also acknowledged her earlier calculations needed correction and more detail.

Vendor representative Nick Harwick said the fleet program is designed as a holistic, long-term financing and replacement strategy. He told council the planned 29-vehicle delivery schedule would require close coordination and that leasing's financial benefits become clearer over a longer horizon through consistent replacement cycles and resale values.

Council members pressed for a clear short-term comparison. Councilman Easley asked: "We're not comparing apples to apples. You're comparing five leasing five buying five vehicles to leasing 29. I wanna compare leasing 5 vehicles to buying 5 vehicles. What is the least cost for these 5 vehicles in the first year?" Mary and the vendor agreed to provide a focused one-year lease-versus-buy comparison for the specific vehicles under consideration and to return with a 10-year projection and vehicle make/model detail.

Staff later corrected a calculation sent by the vendor: Mary said the vendor's most recent estimate for fiscal 2026 acquisition under the lease scenario was $186,160 (previously misread by staff as a higher total). Council did not vote; members asked staff to return with clearer line-item comparisons and model-level details before any commitment.