Wayne County staff request budget adjustment to buy two pool sedans for executive office

Wayne County staff asked the Committee on Ways and Means to approve a budget adjustment to purchase two sedan “pool” vehicles for the county executive’s office, citing frequent travel to Lansing and staff reliance on personal vehicles. Ryan Manning, assistant county executive, told commissioners the office needs two county vehicles “to get to and fro, to business in Lansing, business in your districts” and to reduce staff dependence on leased personal cars.

Manning said the vehicles are “basic sedans” and that the county had an opportunity to secure two for roughly $60,000 total. He described the cars as intended for pooled, internal use by the executive office and said they would be staged at the First Street Garage rather than taken home by employees as a regular practice. Manning acknowledged there may be rare exceptions for overnight travel related to legislative sessions.

Commissioner Anderson asked how often staff travel to Lansing; Manning said travel has been “ongoing” and that during some periods staff travel to Lansing multiple days a week and “during lame duck, it was daily.” Commissioners pressed about fleet age and replacement schedules and whether the county’s motor-pool inventory requires ongoing replacement. Manning said the county had inherited an “aged fleet” and that some Department of Public Services vehicles are limited in wider use.

Commissioner Baker McCormick raised operational questions about whether assigned drivers would take vehicles home; Manning reiterated the plan to stage vehicles at First Street Garage and said overnight home use would be limited to exceptional circumstances. Commissioners also asked about driver screening and risk oversight; Manning said driver eligibility is “jointly kind of enforced monitored by management budget and, personnel.”

The item was introduced on the agenda as "requesting commission approval of budget adjustment 2025-35138, certifying revenue in the Capital Projects Fund." The public transcript records discussion and questions but does not show a final recorded vote on that specific item during the excerpt provided.

The discussion also included procedural notes that several agenda items would be taken together at the end of the meeting, and that two later items would be discussed in closed session as needed.

Clarifying details from the meeting: the request covered two sedans; the committee was told the pair could be obtained for about $60,000; vehicles would be parked at First Street Garage; routine home assignment of the cars was not planned; frequency of trips to Lansing was described as multiple days per week for at least one staff member and up to daily during some sessions.

The committee moved on to other agenda items without a recorded vote on the vehicle purchase in the available transcript.