Franklin City council debates vehicle lease strategy, police car turnover and resale options

Franklin City councilmembers questioned the city's practice of leasing vehicles through Enterprise and discussed how leasing affects fleet turnover and resale value.

"My question was on leasing. So we lease our vehicles?" a councilmember asked. A colleague answered, "Yeah. We do. Yeah. Enterprise."

Staff and councilmembers outlined why leasing has been used: quicker turnover to capture equity in used vehicles and to ease cash-flow demands compared with buying and holding older units. A councilmember noted the arrangement means police vehicles are turned over frequently, asking, "So we'll get a police car every 18 months as a new car? Because they drive a lot of miles." A staff speaker confirmed the intent is to turn vehicles over more frequently to "get value out of it while there still is value to be had and then move on to another" vehicle.

Several councilmembers suggested alternatives: selling older vehicles on the city surplus auction site rather than retaining them until they have little value or relying exclusively on the leasing firm's resale process. One councilmember asked staff to perform an analysis of charges and total costs associated with leasing versus buying and auction resale.

Why it matters: fleet-management decisions affect the city’s operating budget, long-term maintenance costs and how quickly specialized vehicles (like police cars) are replaced. The council asked staff to return with more detailed financial information so members can compare options rather than rely solely on the leasing company’s program.

No formal vote was taken on fleet policy at the meeting.