Commissioners review county vehicle purchases, take‑home policies and jail transport mileage

County staff told the commissioners on July 17 that the county’s rolling stock has increased over the past nine years and that vehicle replacement timing and auction timing can create apparent surges in inventory. Using a snapshot approach, staff reported approximately 176 vehicles under county control: about 146 assigned to the sheriff’s office, 26 to correctional facilities and four to maintenance of equipment. Over the last nine years the county purchased about 195 vehicles and retired roughly 150, a net increase of about 45 vehicles, staff said. The sheriff’s office described a lifecycle approach for patrol cars: new patrol units typically remain in patrol until roughly 100,000–120,000 miles, are then reassigned to courthouse or transport duties and are removed from high‑mileage duties at roughly 140,000–150,000 miles. The county uses a combination of in‑house minor repairs, trustee labor and occasional outfitting from third parties; staff reported auctioning 41 vehicles in 2025 and receiving 18 replacement units in 2025 (13 budgeted purchases, 4 funded by SB 22 and 1 insurance replacement). Commissioners also discussed vehicle types, upfitting and recurring costs such as tire size and parts inventory. Staff said standardizing vehicle models reduces parts‑stocking costs but that alternative models can save procurement dollars if the county is willing to expand parts variety. The court reviewed a set of FY2026 capital requests that included 19 vehicles and a golf cart; commissioners agreed to stagger some purchases and to move one Traverse purchase to the next year while keeping a golf cart request for courthouse transport. The court asked staff to provide clearer snapshots comparing fleet size across dates, and to report average monthly miles for over‑the‑road jail transport vans and the take‑home vehicle policy. Commissioners also directed staff to follow up on whether some specialized transport needs (including psychiatric or mental‑health transports) can be reassigned or billed differently.