Treasurer Al told the Washington County Board of Supervisors on Oct. 11 that Washington County needs to “right‑size” its carpool and fleet management to stop using replacement reserves to buy new equipment and to reduce administrative burden on his office and the fleet shop.

The treasurer said the county changed internal rates after finding the prior charges “barely covered replacement” and did not pay overhead, repairs or maintenance. He urged supervisors to consider raising rates further or to change the funding method so general fund would cover personnel while machinery rentals pay for equipment, like the model used for the county road fund.

Why it matters: County fleet and carpool spending is visible in multiple budgets; misallocated replacement funds can require larger general‑fund contributions later and increase the county’s annual operating pressures. The treasurer said a more predictable capital plan and a replacement schedule (for example buying four trucks a year) would make budgeting easier and reduce surprise gaps.

Key details supervisors discussed included a proposal to collect a single inter‑fund transfer — rather than billing dozens of departments monthly — to simplify administration and leave car‑count and assignment decisions with the fleet manager. The treasurer said the county has averaged about $670,000 per year paid into carpool over five years and suggested moving that as a single transfer into the carpool fund to reduce billing labor and retain interest on general‑fund cash.

The treasurer also proposed a three‑year transition for certain department fleets — for example reducing a department’s vehicles gradually while donating lower‑mileage county cars into the carpool pool — so the carpool fund would receive a steady stream of used vehicles without immediate large purchases. He said that approach could be paused at any time if supervisors felt the county needed more vehicles.

Supervisors, fleet staff and the treasurer debated tradeoffs: a mileage‑and‑per‑car rate incentivizes departments to limit vehicles; a flat allocation simplifies admin but could reduce incentives. Supervisor concerns included departmental planning disruptions if funds were shifted at budget time and the loss of usage‑based signals to departments. Treasurer Al and fleet superintendent Deb said tracking and replacement schedules would still be maintained even if billing moved to an inter‑fund transfer.

The board did not take formal action at the session; the treasurer said the changes and the larger capital plan and rate discussions would be part of the 2026 budget conversations.