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New Boston moves to lease police cruisers, citing cost stability
Summary
The Select Board voted to move forward with a 3–4 year lease program for police cruisers after Police Chief Steve Case described high purchase and upfitting costs and an underfunded vehicle line. Final lease numbers will be finalized and approved via consent agenda when available.
The New Boston Select Board voted June 15 to proceed with a multi-year lease program for the town's police cruisers after hearing a cost analysis from Police Chief Steve Case. Chief Case told the board the department's vehicle line is underfunded (about $35,264) and that purchasing a 2026 Ford Explorer and fully upfitting it can cost roughly $57,000 to $62,000 per cruiser once electronics and decals are included. The board approved proceeding with a 4-year lease option from Caponi Ford, with final contract figures to be presented later and placed on the consent agenda for formal approval.
Chief Case said the department examined 3- and 4-year lease structures and had concerns about mileage and wear but concluded a 4-year lease is preferable. "The way we've done it is we rotate them on an annual basis," he said, explaining the town has historically budgeted roughly one car replacement a year. "A 2026 Explorer is about $45,000. That does not take into account the equipment that needs to go into it. In total, we spend approximately $57,000 to $62,000 annually on a car." He recommended buying warranty coverage separately to reduce the lease package price; he cited an example bumper-to-bumper warranty quote (125,000 miles) of just under $5,200 from a dealer and comparable third-party options at lower cost.
Board members asked about residual value at lease turn-in and how the department would manage decal removal and upfitting. Chief Case said residuals vary by vehicle condition and mileage and that trade values on decommissioned cruisers have been low ("$4,000 to $5,000" was cited). He estimated that, under the lease program, annualized costs for an eight-car fleet could be roughly $114,000 and that spreading vehicles onto a lease schedule would stabilize annual budget volatility.
Select Board members expressed support for the plan'noting predictable payments and warranty savings'and directed staff to return with final lease documents and exact figures for placement on the consent agenda. The motion to proceed with the Caponi Ford lease program passed by voice vote.
Next steps: staff will finalize the contract details, remove warranty charges from the lease package where cost-effective, and present the full numbers for formal consent-agenda approval at a future meeting.
