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Sheriff's office warns of "breaking point" in vehicle fleet; county weighs enterprise leasing and funding options
Summary
Marathon County staff and the sheriff's office told the Public Safety Committee the department is close to a fleet "breaking point," with no spare marked squads and rising maintenance costs; staff outlined the enterprise-lease approach, potential 2026 funding options and the operational risks of pausing purchases.
County staff and sheriff's office leaders briefed the Public Safety Committee on May 12 about fleet funding, operational risks and options for capital planning.
Administrator and staff recounted a rolling-stock strategy adopted in 2023 that tied fleet funding to a CPI-based rubric after more than a decade of flat funding. The county partnered with Enterprise Fleet to lease marked patrol vehicles to capture buying power and leverage resale timing; staff said the strategy assumed replacing roughly 10 squads per year.
Chief Deputy Bill Milhauser said the sheriff's office is at or near a "breaking point": the department currently has no spare squads, has run vehicles up to 160,000-190,000 miles in some cases, and recently spent about $7,500 to replace an engine because there was no money to buy a replacement vehicle. He said the office manages roughly 91 vehicles overall and that deferred replacement will increase maintenance costs and operational risk.
Kelly, an Enterprise Fleet representative, explained the enterprise model: the firm advises on optimal buy/sell timing (cycle point) to minimize total operating cost and preserve vehicle equity; she also described long upfitting lead times (10— months) because only a few upfitting companies serve squads statewide, which constrains how many vehicles can be converted each year.
Staff outlined potential funding and policy choices for the committee, including increased sales-tax utilization and other options to pay for a 2026 purchase window. Administrator and staff said they would return to the committee with options and recommended the committee decide whether to maintain the current service level and enterprise approach or choose alternatives such as a shared fleet or different take-home policies.
Why it matters: The sheriff's office said shortage of vehicles threatens routine operations and could increase costs through emergency repairs or extended downtime; choices now affect capital budgets and service levels for years.
Next steps: Staff will present funding options to the committee and recommend approaches for the 2026 budget cycle.
