Cochise County orders 22 vehicles as staff reviews fleet‑replacement strategy

Public Works Director Jason Fazio told the Cochise County Board of Supervisors at a Feb. 20 work session that the county has ordered about 22 new vehicles this fiscal year as staff updates the fleet‑replacement approach.

Fazio said the county tracks mileage thresholds for replacement and repurposes patrol vehicles from the Cochise County Sheriff’s Office to lower‑mileage departments. "We have ordered about 22 new vehicles this year," Fazio said. "Once those vehicles are rolled out of CCSO at a 60,000 [miles], typically what we do is we repurpose those vehicles and we put them in other departments."

Why it matters: Fleet purchases and maintenance affect department operating budgets, auction revenue and road funding. Supervisors asked for detailed utilization reports ahead of upcoming budget decisions.

Details of the county’s current practice include a general replacement guideline around 60,000 miles for sheriff vehicles before they are repurposed, and replacement of county vehicles once they approach about 180,000 miles. Fazio said the county sometimes invests in major repairs — for example, engines or transmissions at roughly 170,000–175,000 miles — when that extends usable life and improves return on investment. "Those vehicles will sometimes go to solid waste or to our highways department to get a few more miles on them before we auction them off," Fazio said.

Fazio described active work to tighten fleet assignment and replacement decisions. On Feb. 4 Public Works issued a vehicle‑utilization questionnaire to department heads and staff run aging reports to identify underused vehicles. "We sent out a questionnaire on February 4, and basically that went out to all the department heads to look at vehicles that were maybe underutilized," Fazio said.

Supervisors pressed for data. Supervisor Crosby asked whether the county publishes a utilization chart by vehicle and maintenance costs; Fazio said aging and utilization reports can be produced and that he would provide them for budget work. "Yeah. We can run aging reports that give us all kinds of information," Fazio said in response to that request.

Procurement and upfitting: Fazio said purchases are generally made via state contract and that Joe Hutchison, the fleet superintendent, handles quotes and upfits. He reported eight of the newly ordered vehicles already are upfitted and ready for service, with others awaiting delivery from Tucson. Fazio cited standardization benefits: the fleet is predominantly Chevrolet to limit training and parts complexity, though staff periodically checks pricing on comparable models from other manufacturers.

Heavy equipment and donated vehicles: Fazio described fleet divisions for light and heavy vehicles and said some sheriff off‑road vehicles were donated through grants or military surplus (DRMO). The county performs most maintenance in‑house and contracts or auctions older equipment through the county property manager and procurement.

Auctions and revenue optimization: Supervisors discussed auction timing and the mix of vehicles offered to avoid depressing prices. Fazio said the county coordinates with procurement and the property manager on auction timing and may stagger similar items to optimize returns.

Ending: Supervisors requested utilization data and aging reports ahead of the next budget cycle so they can evaluate replacement timing, auction strategies and any changes to vendor or parts sourcing.