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Enterprise Fleet Management pitches open‑end leasing to Cheektowaga; presenters cite aging fleet and modest projected savings
Summary
Enterprise recommended a five‑year replacement cycle, cited an average fleet age of 12.7 years and identified underused vehicles; presenters estimated a 10‑year savings and described lease terms and maintenance options.
Representatives from Enterprise Fleet Management told the Town Board on Feb. 11 that Cheektowaga's light‑ and medium‑duty municipal fleet is older than industry norms and that an open‑end leasing model could reduce operating costs and make budgets more predictable.
Fran Infernado, client strategy manager for Enterprise Fleet Management, told the board the town's light/medium fleet contains 30 vehicles and that the average vehicle age is 12.7 years. She said the company found nine town vehicles with under 1,000 miles per year and recommended moving toward a five‑year replacement cycle. "Our goals ... are to help the town lower the average age of your fleet," Infernado said.
Why it matters: Older vehicles generally incur higher maintenance and fuel costs, the presenters said; reducing average fleet age and consolidating vehicle types can lower total cost of ownership and simplify budgeting for municipal fleets.
What Enterprise proposed: The company presented a fleet profile and replacement analysis, outlined an open‑end leasing model that returns equity from vehicle sales to the town, and offered optional maintenance programs and a dashboard for fleet data. Infernado reported an estimated 10‑year net savings of about $76,000 if the town followed the company's full recommended schedule; she said the year‑one lease costs in the proposal totaled roughly $664,000 with expected vehicle sale proceeds returning about $552,000 to the town, yielding a year‑one fleet budget estimate of about $309,000.
Council questions and clarifications: Council members pressed Enterprise staff on fees, end‑of‑term charges and whether the company leases heavy equipment. Council member Brian Pularski asked whether the projected $76,000 savings over 10 years justified the leasing plan; Infernado said resale equity is included in the calculations and that Enterprise typically sells at roughly 10% over commercial valuation. Nate Mers, director of fleet management at Enterprise, said the company's municipal clients use the program for a wide variety of vehicles and that the firm can fund specialty upfits when appropriate, while acknowledging those units often require a tailored approach.
Maintenance and operations: Enterprise said the town can either enroll vehicles in an Enterprise maintenance program, which would generate alerts to a town point person, or continue using in‑house or local shop maintenance and feed records into an integration platform so Enterprise can analyze costs and make recommendations.
No action taken at work session: The board heard the presentation and asked follow‑up questions but took no immediate vote on a contract; Enterprise agreed to provide contact information and follow up with staff.
