Clay County OKs 10‑vehicle lease for sheriff's office; county to use internal service funds

The Clay County Board of Commissioners voted to approve a request from Sheriff Empting to lease 10 patrol vehicles from Enterprise Fleet Management to replace existing leased units.

Empting told the board the county has $668,583.62 in internal service funds available. He said the total lease cost would be $545,305.56 and estimated vehicle upfitting costs would total $110,115.04. Those two figures sum to $655,420.60; Empting described the leasing approach as producing operational savings compared with purchasing, and told commissioners the annual cost under the lease would be about $177,848.40.

Commissioners asked about vehicle color and lifecycle. Empting said the fleet is switching to black Tahoes because of supply-chain and availability concerns and that Enterprise prefers to cycle vehicles before they reach 100,000 miles to preserve resale value. He gave typical three‑year mileage ranges for deputies of roughly 85,000 to 120,000 miles and said Enterprise and county staff meet quarterly to plan cycling and maximize resale proceeds.

A motion to approve the 10‑vehicle lease and the estimated fit‑out costs passed by voice vote; the chair clarified the motion included the upfitting estimate.

Why it matters: the lease will replace aging patrol vehicles and, according to the sheriff, reduce overall costs compared with outright purchase while providing a vehicle‑replacement cadence staff say improves resale outcomes. The county will receive any excess proceeds when vehicles are traded back in under the Enterprise arrangement.

What’s next: the sheriff's office will complete quarterly fleet reviews with Enterprise and proceed with vehicle upfitting; the board recorded no separate budget appropriation beyond the internal service funds referenced in the request.

(Reporting based only on the Clay County Board meeting transcript.)