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County staff brief board on Vehicle Asset Management Program as departments weigh pausing contributions
Summary
County fleet managers briefed the Board on VAMP, the county's voluntary Vehicle Asset Management Program, noting the fund's $34.4 million balance and that departmental contributions are restricted for use by the contributing department.
County staff presented an overview of the Vehicle Asset Management Program (VAMP) on June 17, explaining how voluntary department contributions are set aside to replace vehicles and equipment over multi-year cycles.
Public Works Director Randy Ishii and fleet manager Rich Buell explained VAMP was established in fiscal 2011–12 and collects monthly contributions from participating departments based on estimated replacement cost. The program covers a wide range of county vehicles; not all county vehicles are in VAMP, but the fund is designed to lower emergency purchase costs and smooth replacement planning.
Staff reported a general-fund VAMP contribution schedule of roughly $2.9 million for FY 2025–26; the total VAMP fund balance across funds was about $34.4 million for FY 2024–25. Staff noted some departments that contribute are restricted: those funds are reserved for the contributing department and, per auditor-controller guidance and State Controller Office contact, cannot be reallocated to other departments.
Public Works told the board it has chosen to suspend its own general-fund VAMP contribution for FY26 to avoid layoffs in the department; staff outlined trade-offs of suspending contributions. Pros include short-term budget flexibility and fewer immediate layoffs; cons include delayed replacements, possible higher repair costs, and future pressure to restore contributions to maintain fleet health. The sheriff's office speaker said the department has placed most of its fleet in VAMP (about 85%), relies on the program to cover special upfitting costs for patrol vehicles, and works closely with county fleet staff to balance replacement timing and vehicle reliability.
Board members asked how non-VAMP vehicles are managed (repairs drawn from department budgets or grants), how replacement thresholds are set (industry guidance of six to eight years, but departments decide to extend or replace based on condition and cost), and whether the county tracks downtime and repair history (staff confirmed a fleet-management system that records mileage, fuel, repairs and utilization).
Why it matters: VAMP gives departments a long-term, restricted reserve to pay for vehicle replacements and reduces volatility from unexpected vehicle losses. Pausing contributions affects each department differently and requires departments to plan for catch-up funding.
Ending: The board received the report and did not take further action at the meeting; staff said they will continue to work with departments to evaluate fleet strategies and to report impacts if more contribution suspensions are proposed.
