Enterprise proposes five‑year replacement plan for Tucumcari fleet; agreement to return to commission

Christine, a representative of Enterprise Fleet Management, told the Tucumcari City Commission on an item of the agenda that 76% of the city’s light‑ and medium‑duty fleet is more than 10 years old and that the current replacement cycle for the fleet is about 23 years. She proposed an Enterprise partnership to shorten that cycle to five years, capture resale equity and lower operating costs.

The proposal centers on leasing vehicles to the city, remarketing decommissioned units on the company’s resale channels, and using equity from those sales to offset future lease payments. “Seventy‑six percent of your light‑ and medium‑duty fleet is more than 10 years old,” Christine said. She said older vehicles depress resale value and raise fuel and maintenance costs; she also noted safety gaps, telling commissioners that 32 of the city’s 45 vehicles lack electronic stability control, which the company described as a major safety feature.

Why it matters: Commission discussion and staff questions focused on budget impact, safety and the timing of deliveries. Enterprise’s year‑one package for Tucumcari would begin with eight new vehicles — one SUV for administration, three pickup trucks and four police Tahoes with upfits — with an estimated capital budget of about $166,000 for the first year. Enterprise proposed that upfits costing more than $10,000 require a 50% down payment in year one; Enterprise said year two payments would be roughly $40,000 less after the initial down payments and that resale equity would be applied to future invoices.

Enterprise described complementary services to reduce operating costs: issuing fuel cards integrated with the city’s existing WEX fuel program, installing Geotab telematics devices to monitor idling, speeding and fuel usage, and remarketing retired vehicles using Enterprise’s national resale channels. Christine said the firm’s remarketing team often achieves higher resale prices than municipal auction channels, and that that equity would be returned to the city.

Police and operations staff asked detailed questions. The police chief said the department has had recurring drivetrain and engine failures with current units and favored pursuit‑rated Tahoes for durability and equipment capacity. “Buying vehicles is creating a problem,” the chief said, citing a Durango out of service with a blown engine and the cost of major repairs. He said leasing would keep the fleet warranty and replacement options aligned with budget constraints. The chief and other commissioners also discussed reuse of in‑vehicle equipment (cameras, mounts and pedestals) when vehicles are replaced; Enterprise and the chief said some equipment could be transferred and Axon camera units removed and reused to reduce costs.

Timing and logistics: Enterprise said Tahoe units from its internal inventory were scheduled for outfitting starting in October and delivery in November; SUVs and trucks ordered from manufacturers would have roughly three months’ lead time after order. Enterprise also noted incentives negotiated on some pickups (it cited a $7,000 incentive per pickup in the presentation) that would create immediate equity on delivery.

Commission response and next steps: Commission discussion closed with a procedural clarification. A city staff member summarized that the immediate action item would be approval of an agreement with Enterprise (the terms of the fleet purchases and leases would then come out of the city budget). No formal motion or vote on the agreement appears in the transcript; commissioners asked staff to return the agreement for formal consideration and to include the terms and financing breakdown. "The action is for the agreements," a staff member said during the close of the presentation, and Enterprise left the meeting after a short Q&A.

Ending: City staff and Enterprise agreed to follow up with a detailed budget and contract terms for the commission to consider at a future meeting. Commissioners asked staff to include line‑item budget impacts, the proposed treatment of upfit down payments and the schedule for vehicles and outfitting when the agreement is returned for action.