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Fleet services seeks staff and replacement vehicles; committee presses on EVs, charging infrastructure and use of inmate labor
Summary
State fleet managers asked for additional staff and one-shot vehicle replacements; lawmakers pressed officials about electric vehicle purchases, charging infrastructure and the use and pay of inmates in fleet work programs.
Officials from the Department of Administration’s Fleet Services briefed the joint subcommittee on staffing proposals, a request to replace and purchase vehicles, and operational constraints including vehicle maintenance, EV charging infrastructure and use of Department of Corrections inmates.
Joy Grimmer presented fleet statistics and decision units. She said the division operates about 1,380 vehicles across three facilities in Carson City, Reno and Las Vegas and that Las Vegas has 669 assigned vehicles. The presentation listed a one-shot replacement fund for 173 agency-owned vehicles and a purchase request for 90 new vehicles in fiscal year 2026.
Assembly member O’Neil asked whether newly purchased vehicles would include plug-in electric vehicles. “The majority of them will be hybrid. We will have no full EV plug in vehicles purchased this session,” Grimmer said. She added the current fleet includes 57 EVs but that the department is not requesting additional EV purchases in the present budget cycle because statewide charging infrastructure at state buildings is “not quite sufficient to charge EVs” and is expensive to implement.
Committee members pressed for lifecycle-cost comparisons. Assembly member Watts noted recent legislation requiring procurement decisions consider total life-cycle cost (fuel, maintenance, insurance and incentives) and asked the division to provide analysis comparing fuel types and vehicle classes; Grimmer agreed to follow up.
Lawmakers also asked about an inmate-payroll decision unit (E333) and the use of Department of Corrections inmates to supplement state staff. Christina Duncan of Fleet Services said the current request includes one inmate position in the Carson City office; she said the inmates perform building maintenance, car washes and assist with repairs. Committee members asked about inmate pay and program status; Duncan said the rate was about $2.50 per hour and that she was unsure whether participants are in a reentry program or receive certifications and that the division would follow up with the Department of Corrections.
Why it matters: The fleet composition and procurement decisions affect operating budgets, carbon and maintenance costs, and daily availability of state vehicles used by agencies. Use of incarcerated workers raised questions from lawmakers about labor practices and oversight.
Other operational details: Fleet Services said short-term rentals fulfilled by the division exceeded 4,590 (period not specified) and that in FY24 fleet vehicles traveled more than 9.3 million miles in aggregate. The division estimated vehicles out of service for repair were typically unavailable about one week and that loaner vehicles are provided; the department will provide exact loaner-vehicle counts on request. The presentation requested additional positions: one fleet specialist in Carson City to handle telematics, subrogation and asset-management licenses, and one fleet services worker in Las Vegas to address backlog in repairs and rentals.
Next steps: Staff agreed to provide the committee with lifecycle-cost analyses for vehicle procurement, more detail on EV deployment and charging constraints, counts and program details for inmate work programs, and the number of loaner vehicles available.
