City outlines fleet replacement program; staff says 2025–26 will include 66 scheduled replacements

Fleet Services Manager Matt Edwards briefed the Walla Walla City Council on the city’s fleet replacement program at the Feb. 24 work session, explaining the inventory, forecasting model and the budgeted replacements planned in the 2025–26 biennial budget.

Edwards described the program as a near‑30‑year practice that uses an Excel‑based replacement model and an enterprise asset management system to schedule replacements, track maintenance and set aside annual reserve funding. He said the program follows the Walla Walla municipal code, which established a revolving internal service fund for fleet replacement, and the city’s capital asset policy.

Edwards gave counts by department and asset class: public works holds the largest share (about 181 vehicles/equipment, roughly 48% of the capital fleet plan); parks and recreation about 110 (29%); police 42 (11%); fire 35 (9%); and other departments a combined 12 assets (3%). He said the capital fleet plan addresses roughly 280 capital assets (vehicles and equipment) that staff budget for replacement and manage through lifecycle planning.

Edwards explained replacement cycles and examples: police patrol vehicles are assigned a 4‑year frontline replacement cycle (8‑year total useful life); bucket/bucket‑truck style vehicles were shown with a 10‑year cycle (20‑year useful life); refuse collection vehicles vary by type (residential side‑loader ~7‑year cycle, rear‑loader ~9 years, commercial container trucks ~10 years). He described categories that may require major system rebuilds (motor grader, bulldozer, wheel scraper) as a cost‑effective alternative to early replacement.

Edwards emphasized the role of preventive maintenance schedules and the asset management system in optimizing replacement timing. He said the system captures work orders, fuel transactions, utilization, downtime and total cost of ownership so staff can identify when maintenance costs or operational risk justify replacement. Edwards said the fleet group is staffed with six positions but operating with five mechanics at the time of the presentation.

On planned procurement, Edwards said the 2025–26 budget includes 66 replacement purchases and leases; he noted the list is larger than a typical year (usually 20–30 purchases) and that staff intends to bring the recommended replacements to council in 2–3 regular meetings with full backup packets for each item. He also outlined the city’s existing leases and said several leased items are already in service under prior council approvals.

Councilors asked about data backups, electric vehicle maintenance and range considerations, and whether replacement schedules can shift in tight budget years. Edwards said the model and asset management system (plus Munis financial records) provide overlapping data; he said electric vehicles will reduce operating maintenance costs but raise range and charging‑infrastructure questions and that the fleet team can reprioritize and present options if leadership directs postponement of set‑asides.

Edwards: "When you look at the replacement window, the optimal replacement point is when operating costs and downtime meet at a low point and replacement gives the best total cost outcome," he said.

Ending

Council thanked staff for the detailed, data‑driven briefing. Edwards recommended splitting the 2025 procurement requests across multiple council meetings and said staff will supply the full replacement packets, budget impacts and risk assessments prior to each purchase approval. No council votes were taken during the presentation.