Bourbon County sheriff seeks new vehicles as commissioners weigh $400,000 startup and five‑year costs

The Bourbon County sheriff told commissioners on Nov. 10 that many patrol and transport vehicles in the fleet are aged, high‑mileage and facing increasing maintenance costs, and urged replacement through a lease program. The sheriff's presentation proposed a turnkey lease including vehicles, equipment and maintenance; staff reported an estimated annual lease cost around $137,449 and said the first year includes additional equipment‑outfit expenses.

Sheriff's office representatives recommended a package of 11 vehicles — a mix of a crew cab, eight patrol Tahoes and two Pacifica transports — and said enterprise leasing programs would include maintenance and equity projections at term. The sheriff's finance contact said the turnkey, first‑year outlay included vehicle leases plus equipment costs and estimated the initial budgetary need in discussion as roughly $400,000 to start the program, a figure commissioners repeatedly used in debate.

Commissioners pressed for clearer five‑year projections before committing county sales‑tax revenue. They asked for a breakdown of ongoing lease payments, expected equity value at term, and the incremental equipment outlay (an estimate of about $14,000 per vehicle was discussed by staff). Commissioner Samuel Tran emphasized the need for five‑year cash flows before approval: "Give me a settled number so we can sit there and figure out what the budget's gonna be," he said.

Sheriff and finance staff committed to provide a detailed five‑year projection and to coordinate with Ben (the sheriff's finance adviser) and county staff. Commissioners discussed funding sources including jail sales tax proceeds and inmate housing funds; no final authorization to spend county funds was taken at the meeting. The sheriff said he will ask Enterprise for a revised contract, and staff will return next week with more complete numbers for commissioners to review.