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Johnson County approves preorder of 13 law-enforcement vehicles and upfits, citing supply-chain and tariff risks
Summary
The court unanimously authorized ordering 11 sheriff vehicles and one vehicle each for Precinct 2 and Precinct 3 constables ahead of fiscal year 2026 and approved funding for upfits, citing supplier backlog, emission-related price increases, and available heavy-equipment replacement fund balance.
Johnson County commissioners on May 27 approved a request to order replacement law‑enforcement vehicles ahead of the 2026 fiscal year to avoid expected price increases and long delivery delays.
County staff and the sheriff’s office briefed the court on supply‑chain constraints and rising costs, including new federal emissions requirements expected to raise vehicle prices. Authorities reported recent instances when vehicles were ordered but delivered many months later, causing repeated budget moves and fleet gaps. The court heard that ESU Pursuits, a vehicle supply vendor, had 70 Ford Interceptor utility vehicles available immediately and that the Ford models were about $5,000 cheaper than Tahoe replacements. A quoted package for the sheriff and constables totaled approximately $581,900 before upfits; the court later added authorization for vehicle upfits, which increased the total cost estimate toward $1.2 million when outfitting is included.
Commissioners approved the purchase request by unanimous vote for 11 sheriff vehicles and one vehicle each for the Precinct 2 and Precinct 3 constables. The court instructed staff to work with the auditor’s office on accounting: vehicles received before fiscal year‑end could be paid from the county’s heavy equipment replacement fund (which staff said had roughly $900,000 available) and later budgeted into next fiscal year; vehicles delivered after the start of the fiscal year would be charged to the FY26 budget in the ordinary course.
The court also unanimously approved an additional motion to include funds for upfitting the vehicles so the cars could be placed into service as delivered. Presenters cautioned that receiving vehicles does not guarantee immediate service because upfit providers can have backlogs, and that ordering now should reduce exposure to both tariff-related price increases and long build times experienced earlier in the decade.
Vote: motion to preorder 13 vehicles (11 sheriff, 1 Precinct 2 constable, 1 Precinct 3 constable) and authorize upfits — carried unanimously (County Judge Rick Huebsen; Commissioners Willie, White, Howell and Wooley; Commissioner Bailey absent).
