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Council hears 10‑year Enterprise fleet plan; members ask for contract details before committing
Summary
Police and council discussed a proposed 10‑year fleet program with Enterprise (five‑year leases), projected warranty improvements and a $246,033 10‑year savings estimate; council requested Enterprise and the police chief present firm contract terms at the next meeting.
Council members heard a detailed presentation on a proposed 10‑year Enterprise fleet replacement plan for Norton Police Department vehicles but postponed any final commitment until the department and an Enterprise representative can present firm contract terms.
Captain Jason Burnett (Norton Police Department) presented the plan and a memo from an independent reviewer, Windfall Funding. Burnett summarized the consultant’s view, saying the program would "give the city more flexibility, enhanced vehicle warranties, access to useful data for decision making" and projected savings of about $246,033 over 10 years. The proposal calls for five‑year leases that would transfer title to the city at the end of each lease and would move the fleet from three‑year/36,000‑mile warranties to five‑year/100,000‑mile warranties.
Under the plan the department would expand cruisers from 12 to 16 over the early years, receive vehicles already outfitted (saving the city installation wait time and immediate outfitting costs of roughly $15,000–$20,000 per vehicle), and gain rotational downtime to reduce wear. Captain Burnett said the program could reduce vehicle downtime and long lead times for ordered vehicles.
Several council members praised the warranty and the prospect of outfitted vehicles but asked for more concrete contract details. Councilmember Mr. Towsley said he was "not against this" but raised concerns that the savings are projections rather than contract guarantees and urged accounting for trade‑in values, suggesting trade‑in assumptions could alter net savings. Another councilmember asked whether the city would be locked into vehicle counts; staff and the chief clarified that each lease would return to council for approval and that the city could exit the lease program (with payoff obligations) if needed.
Next steps: Chief McShane and an Enterprise representative are scheduled to appear at the next council meeting; the administration intends to introduce formal legislation in two weeks and seeks council direction beforehand. No ordinance or contract was adopted at the May 5 meeting.
