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Kent County authorizes pre‑purchase of five sheriff patrol vehicles to avoid long lead times
Summary
The Kent County commissioners approved pre-procurement of up to five sheriff patrol vehicles found on local dealership lots to avoid 6–12 month manufacturer delays, delegating signature authority to the county administrator and authorizing required down‑payment arrangements.
Kent County commissioners on March 24 authorized staff to pre‑procure up to five patrol vehicles for the sheriff's office after county staff and Sheriff Hickman said long manufacturer lead times have left the department short of reliable marked units.
The board acted after Dan Mattson, the county's public works director, and Sheriff Hickman described locating five vehicles at a local dealership and the logistics of taking them into service. Mattson said the vehicles he and Enterprise identified would cut delivery time substantially because ordering new vehicles can mean waiting nine to 12 months. "Because, as you know, there's the manufacturing the vehicle portion of the purchase and then several months of upfitting," Mattson said, and the vehicles on dealer lots would allow the county to take delivery this summer instead of next year.
The commissioners were given cost information for the proposal: Mattson read a capitalized total price per unit quoted at $78,550.17 and a monthly payment figure of $1,387.47; he said the county typically pays half of the aftermarket upfit as a down payment at delivery, which equates to roughly $19,423 per vehicle and a combined down‑payment total of just over $97,000 for five vehicles. Sheriff Hickman told commissioners high maintenance costs on older units make early replacement desirable and urged seizing the available vehicles on the lot.
Commissioner (voice 3) moved to authorize staff to proceed with pre‑procurement of five sheriff patrol vehicles for the FY2027 budget and to delegate signature authority on any required paperwork to the county administrator; the motion passed by voice vote. Mattson said payments would not begin until delivery (after July 1), and the down‑payment would lock in the quoted prices and help avoid further delays.
The county did not record a roll‑call vote in the transcript; commissioners approved the motion by unanimous voice vote. The authorization allows staff to secure vehicles now and complete financing and upfitting before the next fiscal year begins.
