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Commission reallocates $67,000 to lease three Sheriff's responder vehicles
Summary
Facing high mileage and disabled units, the Sheriff's Office will lease three responder vehicles after commissioners approved moving $67,000 from a parking‑lot allocation; administration said leasing smooths capital costs while upfitting will take several months.
Torrance County commissioners agreed March 11 to reallocate $67,000 from a parking lot infrastructure allocation to lease three responder vehicles for the Sheriff's Office to address an acute shortage of patrol units.
County administration and Sheriff's Office staff presented an analysis showing the fleet was strained: about 25 vehicles are in the fleet, several are out of service from mechanical failures or crashes, and patrol units commonly log roughly 3,000 miles per month. Manager Barela told the board that with the identified $67,000 "the county could lease up to three new responder vehicles this fiscal year," with upfitting requiring a 50% down payment and an estimated 3–4 month outfitting timeline through vendor relationships.
Commissioners discussed leasing versus purchasing tradeoffs, including loss of equity under lease arrangements and the administrative advantage of smoothing vehicle spending through consistent lease payments instead of large capital outlays. The board approved the reallocation; staff noted insurance reimbursements for prior claims (approximately $19,000 expected) will return to the Sheriff's budget when received.
