Commissioners open concept discussion on leasing county vehicles; Enterprise outlines management model

Deputy County Administrator Hannah Bet introduced a concept discussion Feb. 17 on shifting some of Saline County's vehicle acquisition and fleet management to a leasing/fleet-management model.

Ken Olsen of Enterprise presented a flexible program that can include equity leases, outright purchases and operational services such as maintenance, telematics and resale. Olsen said Enterprise focuses on medium-sized public fleets and recommended evaluating about 70 of the county's vehicles for program inclusion, excluding specialty apparatus such as tankers or large trucks that do not fit the model. He told commissioners the county's average vehicle age in the analysis was eight years and that the company's model projected up to about "$360,000" in savings opportunity by shortening replacement cycles and capturing resale equity.

Local dealer representation came from "Mister Marshall," who urged the county to include local dealerships in any evaluation and cautioned that leasing is not always cheaper on a strictly cash basis. "At least for the right reasons, if you decide to lease...The right reason is not saving money because you won't save money," he said, urging attention to budgeting predictability and local service.

Commissioners asked about how specialty emergency vehicles and retrofits (radios, cages and lights) would be handled; Olsen said Enterprise works with local vendors to transfer aftermarket equipment and customize specifications to the sheriff's needs. Commissioners signaled support to have staff do further due diligence and bring back comparative options from multiple providers, including local dealers.

Next steps: staff will evaluate options and comparisons for the commission, work with department heads and, if approved, present budget models for potential inclusion in the 2027 budget process.