Selectboard debates lease versus purchase in municipal fleet review; fire chief seeks larger CRF deposit

The Goffstown Selectboard spent a substantial portion of its June 22 meeting reviewing a municipal fleet analysis that compared purchase, traditional lease, lease-purchase, and enterprise fleet-management options across police, fire and public-works vehicles.

The police presentation outlined the department's current practice of buying three cruisers a year (a 10-car marked fleet with five unmarked/command vehicles), noting an approximate vehicle price of $43,000. The police presenter said a three-year lease-purchase would "stabilize" annual cash flow but likely cost more over the long run; the officer summarized: "You're going to pay a little bit more long term." The police recommendation favored the current state-bid purchase and three-year replacement rotation rather than full leasing.

Fire leadership told the board that fire apparatus have long lead times and long service lives—"we replace those about every 18 years," the fire chief said—and warned that older engines carry increasing repair risk. The chief proposed using the town's capital reserve fund (CRF) and recommended increasing the fire CRF deposit to $450,000 to smooth future purchases and cover upcoming apparatus orders. The board discussed the trade-offs between paying up front from CRF balances and using financing to avoid large one-time tax impacts.

Board members and staff also discussed enterprise fleet-management firms that analyze resale markets and timing; enterprise models can smooth vehicle turnover and shift some replacement risk to a vendor, but municipal accounting rules and outfitting costs (lights, radios, patrol equipment) complicate lifecycle comparisons. A recurring issue was the cost of outfitting emergency vehicles; one participant noted that if vehicles are only in town for three-year lease cycles, the town could face higher recurring outfit costs because outfitting would need to happen more often.

DPW recommendations included leasing a mini-excavator to reduce frequent rental costs, selling aging heavy equipment and curbside packers, and considering a DPW equipment special revenue fund seeded by sale proceeds. The board asked staff to bring a pro forma (5–10 year) showing CRF balances and proposed deposits, with a follow-up discussion planned for later summer meetings and the Budget Committee process.

No binding purchasing decisions were made at the June 22 meeting; the board asked staff to refine numbers, produce pro formas, and return with recommendations before finalizing any change to replacement policy or financing strategy.