St. Bernard council approves $1.4 million transfers and a master lease to replace service vehicles

The St. Bernard Village Council on Jan. 23 adopted Resolution No. 1-2025 and two emergency ordinances that together reallocate municipal cash accounts and clear the way for a master lease agreement to replace the village’s oldest service vehicles.

Council suspended the second and third readings and adopted Resolution 1-2025, which authorizes limited use of village funds for employee and holiday refreshments and routine activities. The council then adopted Ordinance 1-2025, authorizing the auditor to transfer $1,400,000 from the general fund into specific cash accounts: $100,000 to the master plan cash account, $400,000 to the general bond retirement cash account and $900,000 to the employee health plan cash account. Both measures passed on roll calls recorded as six ayes, zero nays.

The council also approved Ordinance 2-2025, an emergency ordinance authorizing the director of public service and safety to enter into a master lease agreement with Enterprise Fleet Management. Safety and Service Director Mr. Wardman told council the measure was being handled as an emergency because of long lead times for new vehicles. "The reason that... we're asking for this to go as an emergency is because of the long lead time for the vehicles once we order them," Wardman said. He said following a normal procurement timeline would likely delay deliveries until the following year.

Council members placed both ordinances on the table after a finance-committee discussion and a presentation from Enterprise Fleet Management; the finance committee had unanimously recommended advancing the leasing option. A resident and former service-department employee, Don Middendorf, addressed the council during public comment and thanked members for passage of the vehicle-leasing ordinance, offering to show members the current fleet in the service department.

Votes at a glance Resolution 1-2025 (use of funds for meals/refreshments): adopted, 6 ayes, 0 nays. Ordinance 1-2025 (auditor authorized to transfer $1,400,000; emergency declared): adopted, 6 ayes, 0 nays. Ordinance 2-2025 (master lease with Enterprise Fleet Management; emergency declared): adopted, 6 ayes, 0 nays.

What changed and why it matters The funding transfers move $1.4 million of general-fund dollars into targeted cash accounts that the village said will support capital planning, bond retirement and employee health plan obligations. The master lease ordinance creates a leasing path intended to replace older service vehicles more quickly and at lower upfront cost than direct purchases, responding to committee concerns about fleet age and limited vehicle availability.

Next steps The ordinances take effect as adopted. The director of public services and safety may proceed with negotiating or entering the master lease agreement under the authority granted by Ordinance 2-2025. Council also noted upcoming committee meetings to further review public improvements and the enterprise zone/community reinvestment-area oversight.