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Custer County OKs $16,000 used Jeep for sheriff, directs broader fleet review
Summary
The Board of Commissioners approved the sheriff’s request to buy a 2016 Jeep Cherokee for $16,000 and directed staff to pursue a broader fleet workshop to weigh leasing, selling high‑mileage vehicles and in‑county upfitting to reduce costs.
The Custer County Board of Commissioners voted Dec. 11 to allow the sheriff’s office to buy a 2016 Jeep Cherokee Limited for $16,000 to free up a marked patrol vehicle for a new deputy and to help the department manage its aging fleet.
Undersheriff Susan Barnes told the board the county recently received a $51,185 reimbursement grant tied to earlier school‑safety and SRO expenses and asked that $10,000 be moved into capital improvements to supplement an inmate fund balance so the office could complete the Jeep purchase. Barnes said the vehicle has about 40,000 miles and would be suitable as an unmarked detective or administrative car.
"We have two deputies coming on and we do not have a vehicle for those people to drive," Barnes said, explaining the operational need the purchase is meant to address. She added county mechanics and donated equipment from the state (light bars and other components) would reduce outfitting costs.
Commissioners asked how the purchase would fit into a larger fleet plan. The sheriff’s office presented two related proposals: continuing a small capital line (historically about $160,000) or using a leasing package that could spread replacement costs and allow the county to sell higher‑mileage units. The sheriff’s office estimated substantial savings by selling worn vehicles and by using a local upfitter instead of an out‑of‑county vendor, noting upfitting had previously cost $15,000–$20,000 per vehicle.
"This is a good deal for the county that we could save the $160,000 on the past year's capital budget line," a sheriff’s office representative said, outlining how donations of light bars and other equipment could lower first‑year costs.
Several commissioners urged a cautious approach to buying brand‑new, unproven model years and recommended a workshop with fleet‑management vendors (enterprise, unified fleet providers) to compare bids, examine lease rates and determine whether county shops could manage a mixed fleet. One commissioner also asked that the county mechanic inspect the used Jeep before final purchase.
A motion to approve the sheriff’s immediate request to purchase the 2016 Jeep Cherokee for $16,000 passed by voice vote. Commissioners directed staff to compile competitive bids for police packages (Ford, Chevy, Dodge), supply additional financial analysis on leasing vs. purchase, and schedule a fleet workshop in January to establish a phased replacement plan and possible centralized fleet management.
The board also discussed trade‑in or surplus sale plans for several high‑mileage vehicles (examples listed by the sheriff’s office ranged from about 84,000 to 180,000 miles) and the potential to apply sale proceeds against remaining lease payments in 2025 and 2026.
