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Logan County sheriff and fiscal court debate vehicle lease program to add patrol cars
Summary
Sheriff Stratton presented a proposed five‑year vehicle lease program intended to add up to 10 patrol cars to the county fleet at once; commissioners asked for more financial analysis and the court took no final action on the program but approved a personnel action for a new deputy.
Sheriff Stratton told the Logan County Fiscal Court that a vehicle lease program under consideration would put more newer patrol cars on the road faster than the county’s current practice of buying a few cars a year. He said the lease package brings fully equipped vehicles to the county at an all‑in payment of about $70,000 per car with an option to buy back used vehicles for roughly $7,000 after a five‑year term, and that the typical lease term he was shown was five years with a 35,000‑mile allowance.
The proposal matters because the sheriff’s office and other county departments are facing an aging fleet, and a lease program could change the county’s replacement cadence. “It’s $70,000 for a $50,000 vehicle,” Sheriff Stratton said, describing the county’s equipment and buy‑back options. He argued the program would let the sheriff put 10 cars into service now and then cycle them on a five‑year schedule to keep the fleet newer and reduce maintenance.
Commissioners and Judge Baker pressed for clearer, comparable figures. Several members said they were not sure the lease produced real savings when compared with the county’s current purchase plan and asked the sheriff to produce a spreadsheet showing annual costs, equipment funding, buy‑back scenarios and the fleet size needed to maintain an acceptable average age. Concerns included the program’s economics, mileage limits, and whether the model that might fit the sheriff’s office would work for other departments that have different usage patterns.
Court members also discussed the broader budget context for fleet renewal and whether expanding leasing to multiple departments could result in a sudden increase in leased vehicles countywide. No vote was taken on entering a lease program; commissioners directed Sheriff Stratton to provide the requested numbers and to work with the county’s budget committee and staff for review. The court agreed to place the issue on the agenda for further discussion at the budget meeting.
Separately, the court approved a personnel action request for Deputy Tyler M. Johnson, effective April 17, 2025, moving him from a training classification to a patrol classification after academy graduation. The motion passed on a roll call that recorded yes votes from Davenport, Goodwin, Wilkette, Harper, Crawford, Bolden, Holden and Baker.
The matter remains under study; the court asked the sheriff to email the financial scenarios to all members and to be prepared to discuss them at the budget meeting.
