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Marshall County staff recommend awarding 2026 police Tahoe bid and plan broader fleet replacement
Summary
County staff recommended awarding a $49,991.50 bid per vehicle to Donahue Chevrolet for 2026 Chevrolet police-package Tahoes, presented equipment bids from Dana Safety Supply and Donahue, and discussed a plan to purchase up to 10 Tahoes this year as a fleet refresh estimated at roughly $677,885.
County staff recommended awarding the bid for 2026 Chevrolet police-package Tahoes to Donahue Chevrolet and proposed buying multiple vehicles this year to begin replacing an aging patrol fleet.
At the work session on Dec. 17, staff said Donahue Chevrolet of Fort Payne submitted the sole vehicle bid at $49,991.50 per Tahoe. Two vendors submitted bids for the equipment packages to outfit the vehicles: Dana Safety Supply ($17,797) and Donahue ($19,705.92). "They were the only bidder for the vehicle itself," Speaker 2 said, and staff recommended awarding the vehicle purchase to Donahue and equipment contracts to both vendors to provide redundancy if one vendor could not meet demand.
Commissioners and staff discussed purchasing up to 10 police-package Tahoes this year. Speaker 7 said the lower equipment/vendor package and vehicle totals for 10 units would amount to about $677,885 using Dana's numbers, and that the move was intended to reduce maintenance costs on older vehicles and take advantage of warranties on newer units. "We've had several vehicles that are much older in our fleet, and our maintenance costs have gone up significantly," Speaker 7 said.
Staff identified funding for the proposed purchases from the general fund balance. Commissioners asked about quantity, vehicle types and timeline; staff noted state bids can take 60–90 days and that having a county bid on file can speed procurement for immediate needs. The sheriff's office described older vehicles including 2015 Crown Victorias and 2016–17 Chargers as drivers of the replacement plan.
No formal vote to purchase 10 vehicles occurred at the work session; staff requested direction and recommended award of the single-vehicle bid and equipment awards so purchases could proceed without returning to the commission if a secondary vendor was needed. The matter was presented as a procurement recommendation and, where required, will be brought back for formal approval or included on a future agenda for action.
