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Putnam County officials defend consolidated vehicle-leasing model after legislators seek fleet inventory
Summary
Director John Tully explained an aggregated vehicle-leasing invoice model covering more than 400 vehicles and roughly $996,610 in leased-vehicle expenses; legislators asked for a redacted inventory and clearer presentation after confusion in departmental budgets.
Putnam County’s central services director explained the county’s new vehicle-leasing accounting approach and pledged more transparency after several legislators said the consolidation made it hard to follow line items during the tentative-budget review.
"There's approximately $996,610 in the aggregate for leased vehicle expenses," John Tully told the Audit & Administration Committee, describing a single bill from the county’s provider that is allocated back to departments. Tully said the county fleet exceeds 400 vehicles and most are owned, and that about 17 vehicles are slated for replacement next year.
Under the new model, Tully said, the county maintains an aggregated leased-vehicle line in general services (about $100,000) to permit ordering during the year and allocates other lease costs back to departments for reimbursement and visibility. "I have the exact amount...I provide a spreadsheet," he said, promising to share a redacted fleet inventory with the legislature that would exclude sensitive sheriff's-office investigative information.
Multiple legislators said they were confused because some department budgets showed zeros while others showed encumbrances and asked for a report listing year, make, model, mileage, lease/grant status and where vehicles are assigned. Legislator Crowley asked for quarterly updates; Tully agreed to provide the requested spreadsheet and to attend budget meetings going forward.
Why it matters: Consolidating vehicle costs can streamline invoice processing but reduces line-item visibility for legislators and affects departments that claim reimbursable mileage or grant-funded vehicles. The committee’s request for a redacted inventory aims to restore oversight without exposing sensitive law-enforcement details.
Next steps: Tully will email a redacted fleet spreadsheet to legislative staff and said he will attend relevant budget meetings to walk through the centralized accounts.
