Toledo officials seek $1.6 million for vehicle and equipment replacements, including EVs

The Department of Public Service asked Toledo City Council on April 15 for authorization to spend up to $1.6 million from the Capital Improvement Fund to replace non-emergency vehicles, specialized equipment and marked police cars.

The request combined two agenda items. Megan Robson, director for the Department of Public Service, introduced the proposals and turned the presentation over to Rick Aikman of Fleet and Facilities, who said the department seeks $1,100,000 for non-emergency vehicles and equipment and $500,000 for police vehicle replacement. Aikman said the police allocation would fund about “6 complete units” including decals and emergency equipment.

The legislation would authorize the mayor to accept bids, purchase from vendor lots or used-equipment inventories, use state-term purchasing agreements and award contracts for purchases. Aikman said the department uses asset-management software and division-level meetings to prioritize replacements and choose cost-effective options.

Robson and Aikman addressed electric vehicles and chargers. Robson said the city has “3 vehicles on order, 3 electric, Chevy Equinox,” and that the current package includes two electric vans for service use. On chargers, staff said they are still designing charger locations and anticipate installing Level 2 charging stations to capture usage data; they are not presently planning Level 3 fast chargers.

Council members asked about availability, how many vehicles would be replaced, and about how many police vehicles are out of service because of collisions. Aikman said that vehicle availability can be uncertain and that the authorization allows flexibility to use on-lot or used equipment if it becomes available. On police crash-related downtime he said “At any given point, we usually have a handful.” Councilmembers also asked staff to research electric patrol-vehicle pilots used by other cities; staff agreed to follow up with Columbus about that department’s experience with EV patrol vehicles.

Chair recommendations at the agenda review were for emergency consideration (SEP) to allow placement on the next council agenda; no formal council vote was recorded at agenda review.

The department said purchases will follow standard city procurement rules and that the police-vehicle funds are intended to yield roughly six fully outfitted marked units. Staff also said charger design and placement remain under evaluation and that Level 2 chargers are planned because they capture operational data without the higher power requirements of DC fast charging.

City staff did not present a final vendor list at the agenda review and said availability of new or used vehicles will affect purchases. The items were presented for council’s suspension-of-rules recommendation (SEP) so they could be placed on the April 22 council meeting agenda.

No formal council action was taken at the agenda-review hearing; council chairs recommended SEP for both items so the measures can move to the next meeting.