Bonner County approves purchase of three sheriff pickup trucks after moving consent agenda

The Bonner County Board of Commissioners voted to amend its agenda to take up the consent agenda after other business, then approved the consent agenda that included the sheriff27s vehicle purchase request.

The board first debated whether an invoice and vehicle purchase request from the sheriff27s office should be pulled from the consent agenda for separate discussion. Commissioners cited the item as time-sensitive and said they wanted the sheriff or a representative present to answer questions. Commissioner Williams said it would be "wise to have the sheriff's office present the item" because "it's a significant purchase," and asked that the item be discussed rather than simply approved in a batch.

Legal counsel Bill Wilson advised that items on the consent agenda may be pulled for discussion and still be approved as part of the packet if the board is satisfied after questioning. After debate and an unsuccessful effort to remove the sheriff27s invoice from the consent agenda, the board voted to amend the order of the agenda so the consent agenda would be considered after BOCC items; the motion passed on roll call.

Sheriff Wheeler (present later in the meeting) told the commissioners the request was to "approve the purchase of 3, Chevy, 4 door short bed, 4 wheel drive, service vehicles" for patrol and estimated the cost at roughly "$46-ish each." He said the vehicles were available through Taylor and Sons on state contract but were not on-site, and the dealership could not hold them indefinitely without board approval.

Commissioners and members of the public asked questions about fleet strategy and mileage. The sheriff described a shift away from Tahoe-style patrol vehicles toward pickups for payload, clearance and operational reasons and said the newer 4-cylinder turbo pickups were averaging a little better fuel economy than the older Tahoes, though still under 20 mpg in heavy use.

After the sheriff27s presentation and public comment, a motion was made and the board approved the consent agenda as presented, which included the vehicle purchases. The invoice referenced earlier in the meeting was described by a commissioner as "Taylor and Sons at $139,263.30," which aligns with the sheriff27s description of three vehicles priced in the mid-$40,000 range.

The board also agreed to put future vehicle purchases on the regular agenda when possible to allow fuller discussion.

The discussion over the consent agenda placement, the sheriff27s explanation for the type of vehicle sought and the subsequent approval completed without recorded amendments to the purchase request. The board did not specify a follow-up implementation timeline during the meeting.