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County reviews Enterprise fleet lease to shorten sheriff's vehicle cycle, reduce operating costs
Summary
Enterprise presented an open-ended equity lease plan to shorten sheriff's vehicle holding to about five years, centralize ordering and upfitting, and return resale equity to the county; commissioners asked staff to place a contract authorization on the next board meeting agenda for further consideration.
Harnett County commissioners heard a presentation from Enterprise Fleet Management on a leasing program intended to shorten the county's sheriff's office vehicle holding period and reduce operating and replacement costs.
Enterprise representative Devin Moore said the company recommends holding patrol vehicles about five years as a starting point and managing turnover to capture resale equity and lower maintenance and fuel costs. “There is a sweet spot with certain vehicles with the timing of the mileage,” Moore said, adding the company uses an analysis developed with Ernst & Young to calculate acquisition, maintenance, fuel and resale to find that cycle time.
The county has been buying sheriff vehicles intermittently and storing them longer than recommended, staff said. County staff noted recent problems with finding vehicles and upfitting delays; one staff speaker said vehicles sometimes had to be sourced from out of state. Moore told the board Enterprise can place factory orders when manufacturers open order banks, coordinate aftermarket upfitting with local vendor Batteries Plus and resell retired vehicles through Enterprise's national resale channels.
Enterprise's model in the presentation assumed cycling 40 sheriff vehicles a year (to reach a roughly five‑year turnover on a 200‑vehicle sheriff fleet) and using an open‑end equity lease with an unpaid principal to lower initial cash outlay. Moore said the scenario showed year‑one upfront costs around $670,000 and annual payments near $500,000, and that, over five years compared with paying cash under the county's then‑current practice, the modeled cash‑flow savings would be nearly $2 million. Moore also said resale returns from Enterprise's channels typically exceed auction indices and that properly timed resale can return meaningful equity to the fleet fund.
County fleet staff and commissioners pressed on mileage and operational impacts. Commissioners asked whether there are mileage limits or penalties; Moore said the proposed open‑end equity lease has no fixed mileage penalties and “you can go however many miles you need to,” but the account team would monitor mileage and recommend earlier replacement for high‑mile vehicles. Moore also said Enterprise offers telematics to measure engine hours and idle time, and that the county would retain control over final replacement timing.
County staff described recent annual capital appropriations to the sheriff of roughly $650,000 and said vehicle purchases have fluctuated: the county spent $825,037 to buy 27 vehicles in 2021, purchased 10 vehicles in 2023 for $432,948, and spent $1,470,000 in 2024 to buy 25 vehicles (about $313,000 of that was upfit cost). Staff said in the current year they had purchased only two vehicles and had others on order but not yet delivered, creating operational gaps.
Several commissioners voiced operational caution, emphasizing the need to avoid fees or reduced availability that would leave deputies short‑handed. The sheriff indicated his office supports the program because the current fleet is aged.
After discussion, a commissioner moved that the Enterprise fleet proposal be placed on the next board meeting agenda for further discussion and possible action; the board agreed to place the item on the next meeting agenda so the board can consider contract authorization.
If the board advances the proposal, staff said Enterprise would coordinate factory ordering, aftermarket upfitting, telematics, a consolidated billing option and vehicle resale; Enterprise would also assign a client strategy manager and account fleet coordinator to meet with county staff regularly.
The presentation included specific figures and assumptions provided by Enterprise; county staff said they will return with final contract terms, a recommended scope (whether to include only sheriff vehicles or a broader “white fleet”), and timing needed to access ordering banks. The board did not authorize a contract at the work session and took no final procurement action.
