Sheriff seeks 10 leased vehicles; commissioners approve four-year lease with Bancorp

Josh Roberts of the sheriff's office asked the board to approve the agency's next vehicle order through a lease program. Roberts presented price comparisons among Enterprise, Bancorp and a third vendor; he recommended Bancorp because it charges no monthly administrative fee and avoided decommissioning requirements Enterprise would impose.

Roberts said the requested order is for 10 vehicles: four Dodge Durangos, three Ford Expeditions, two Jeep Grand Cherokees and one Ford F-350. He presented an annual lease cost of $213,853.42 for the term he described as four years. Roberts explained decommissioning to retail standards can add costs (he estimated about $2,100 in at least one scenario) and that Enterprise would charge ongoing monthly fees over the term that Bancorp does not.

Commissioners asked for details on colors and decommissioning. Roberts said pursuit vehicles will remain white with current graphics, the Jeeps will be charcoal gray for civil/process service use, and the F-350 will be white and decaled. He said some vehicles are expected to be repurposed for jail transport when replaced.

After discussion, a motion to approve the vehicle lease recommendation was moved and seconded; the board approved the lease.

Why it matters: Fleet leases affect multi-year budget commitments, vehicle availability for patrol and transport, and disposal/resale options at lease-end. The choice of lease vendor influences total lifecycle costs because of fees and decommissioning requirements.

The sheriff's office plans to place the next order in October when vendor windows open to align future cycles.