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Kootenai County considers early order of patrol cars to avoid price increases; local upfitter in Post Falls proposed
Summary
Captain Kevin Smart asked commissioners to approve early ordering of patrol vehicles to avoid an expected 5–10% price increase; county staff proposed using a local Post Falls upfitter and to continue a replacement cycle of roughly 10 vehicles per year.
Kootenai County commissioners discussed June 17 whether to place early orders for patrol vehicles to avoid anticipated price increases and long lead times.
Captain Kevin Smart told the board the ordering window is open now and that waiting until October could mean a 5% to 10% price increase. He recalled the county placed early orders last year and received vehicles in October, but faced separate equipment backorders. Smart said the county plans to switch to a different upfitter this year who is local to Kootenai County and certified to install required equipment; the vendor is located in Post Falls.
Smart said the local upfitter completed two Hayden cars as a test and that local installation reduces transport costs; he cited roughly $500 per car in transport expenses that would be avoided. He said the local upfitter is smaller than larger vendors such as the previously used upfitter and may work more slowly but allows the county to return vehicles to a local shop for minor fixes.
Commissioners asked for more transparency about fleet needs and replacement priority. One commissioner urged a "show and tell" approach: provide a vehicle-by-vehicle spreadsheet showing mileage and planned replacements so taxpayers can see where money is spent. Smart said fleet management has data and can provide the spreadsheet; he said six vehicles were definite replacements and four others were probable, and that the county needs to move to a cycle of about 10 vehicles per year to avoid another large influx request in future years.
No formal vote was taken; commissioners indicated support for ordering early if the board is comfortable with the number of vehicles requested and with using a local outfitter.
