Lake County approves lease with Leadville Downtowner LLC for new transit vehicles

At a special meeting, the Lake County Board of County Commissioners approved a vehicle lease agreement between Lake County and Leadville Downtowner LLC to document insurance terms for new county transit vehicles.

The measure, discussed by Michael Erwin, Lake County public works director, formalizes a lease the county said is needed so the private operator’s insurance carrier can show the terms under which the operator has been using county vehicles. "Their insurance carrier needed a lease to show the terms that they were using our vehicles," Erwin said. He added the document “doesn't materially change anything,” and that it builds on an existing services agreement by clarifying insurance and related responsibilities.

Erwin told commissioners that under the servicing arrangement the private operator used its vehicles until the county’s vehicles arrived, and the lease reflects the current operating arrangement. He said the county will continue to provide maintenance and support for the vehicles while the operator will carry insurance for their use. Erwin also mentioned a special budget allocation related to the agreement but did not specify an amount.

Commissioner 1 moved to approve the vehicle lease agreement; Commissioner 2 seconded. The board voted three ayes to approve the motion. After the vote a commissioner asked whether the agreement needed to be signed immediately; the record shows no further action on signing at the meeting.

The agreement was described by staff as administrative and intended to satisfy the insurer’s requirement rather than to change operations or service levels. No dollar amounts or contract start/end dates were specified during the discussion.

The meeting lasted roughly three minutes and addressed only this single agenda item before adjournment.