Enterprise presents municipal-lease fleet plan to Rio Blanco County commissioners

Andrew, an Enterprise Fleet Management representative, presented a municipal-lease financing and remarketing plan to the Rio Blanco County Board of County Commissioners on July 22, 2025, proposing a staged replacement of county vehicles to reduce maintenance costs and capture resale equity.

The presentation showed a proof-of-concept that replaces vehicles older than about seven years or with roughly 100,000 miles on a roughly five‑year cycle. Enterprise modeled three initial options for 2026: a 10‑vehicle start, a 21‑vehicle option and a full 48‑vehicle rollout over five years. The firm used a municipal lease structured to finance to a conservative residual (book) value, then remarket vehicles through Enterprise’s remarketing channels to capture proceeds and roll equity back into the replacement program.

Andrew said the county’s baseline annual capital and operating budget for the fleet was about $553,000 under current practices and that a five‑year, partial conversion could lower maintenance and fuel costs while capturing inbound resale revenue. In the firm’s example, replacing 48 vehicles in year one produced lease payments of about $413,000 and an estimated $417,000 in resale equity from the disposed units, producing an approximately breakeven capital result in year one and lower operating costs thereafter. For smaller starts Enterprise reported a year‑one net cash outlay of about $29,000 to replace 10 vehicles (after an estimated $54,000 inbound revenue) and about $58,000 for 21 vehicles; maintenance savings were not fully baked into those smaller‑start estimates.

Commissioners and staff pressed on resale assumptions, vehicle selection and special‑use (sheriff’s office) vehicles. A commissioner noted that some sheriff’s pickups have higher annual mileage and that those units may not match the lower‑mileage examples Enterprise used in its pricing. Enterprise said typical government five‑year residuals are conservatively modeled at about 10–20% of original value and that resale proceeds have been unusually strong in recent years; the presenter said his remarketing approach typically yields roughly 10% above industry book values in many cases.

Commissioners also asked about upfitting and turnaround time for outfitting sheriff’s vehicles. Enterprise confirmed it does not handle heavy equipment and that typical upfit costs for sheriff vehicles run roughly $17,000–$25,000 per vehicle; the presenter said those upfit costs are often treated as a sunk expense for resale and can be capitalized into the lease payment if the county requests it, but they generally do not add resale value when units are remarketed. Staff warned that some outfitters have significant lead times and supply‑chain delays, and Enterprise acknowledged backlogs at upfitters following the recent industry-wide supply constraints.

Vicky, a county staff member, told the board the Enterprise presentation is one of two planned vendor briefings; Unified (a different vendor) will present another option focused on heavy equipment before the county commits funds. Vicky said the current timing gives commissioners time within the 2026 budget cycle to decide whether to allocate money for a pilot implementation.

The presentation was informational; commissioners did not vote on procurement at the meeting. Staff recorded the proposal for further review and to provide additional materials requested by commissioners, including a copy of the Sourcewell contract rate and upfitter options.

The county and Enterprise plan follow-ups to refine which specific vehicles would be included if the board elects to fund a pilot in 2026.