Centennial SD committee advances vehicle-purchase plan amid debate over need and costs

On Oct. 17 the Centennial SD transportation committee reviewed a proposal to buy a cargo van for district courier service and buy passenger vans and replacement buses as part of a multiyear fleet-replenishment plan.

Mr. Hartman, the district operations lead who presented the plan, said the recommended purchases would replace older vehicles, reduce outsourced runs and improve reliability. He described buying a Ford Transit cargo van to replace a rotting carpenter/courier truck and two 9-passenger vans with bench seats. Hartman said Sourcewell/CoStar pricing made the vans roughly $61,000 each and that selling older vehicles could recoup about $20,000 toward costs. "We re gonna save a little over $5,000 purchasing two vans," he said, describing Sourcewell as a fixed-price procurement route that allowed the district to take advantage of units already built and available for near-term delivery.

Why it matters: Hartman and Mr. Greenwood framed the purchases as part of a 10-year capital plan that aims to avoid spikes in replacement costs by replenishing the fleet progressively. Hartman said the district has many aging units (including 2006-model buses) and has set aside roughly $650,000 annually for capital; the current vehicle package he described totaled a little over $500,000.

Key debate: Several committee members urged caution. One member said the district should pause until staff can provide up-to-date outplacement and ridership numbers and asked whether one van might suffice or a short-term lease be used while numbers change. Hartman acknowledged the request and offered to provide the data: "I don't have that data in front of me," he said, and said he would consult special-needs transportation staff before committing to two vans.

Staffing and outsourcing: Hartman said driver availability affects vehicle use. The district is using a mix of providers while recruiting in-house drivers: he reported 26 drivers currently from a private contractor identified in the meeting as Buckled In and about 52 transports handled by the regional IU. He described the contracted service as background-checked, trackable and suitable for some single-student runs, while noting that van drivers are presently easier to recruit than CDL drivers.

Safety and specifications: The committee raised questions about vehicle configurations for special-education use and about seat belts on specific surplus buses (agenda item 7.4). Hartman said vans include seat belts and that undercoating and other finish work could be done in-house after delivery.

Outcome and next steps: Committee members generally supported moving the proposal to the full board for a vote and further review. No final purchase motion was approved in committee; members asked staff to provide outplacement and utilization numbers and other clarifications before the full board takes action.

Quotes

"We re gonna save a little over $5,000 purchasing two vans," Mr. Hartman said, describing the Sourcewell pricing. "We could use them right now if we had them today."

Concerns that followed included comments that buying more vehicles shortly after a tax increase could be politically sensitive and that the board should be prudent in timing capital expenditures.

Ending

The committee agreed to forward the vehicle-purchase package and related capital recommendations to the full board for consideration and requested additional data on outplacements, driver staffing and the district's current use of vans versus full-size buses.