Clay County approves lease of unmarked vehicle for fraud prevention investigators

The Clay County Board of Commissioners approved July 22 a lease for an unmarked county vehicle to be dedicated to the county’s Fraud Prevention Investigations unit.
Quinn, a county staff member who presented the request, said the unit consists of two investigators who frequently need rapid access to a vehicle for interviews, surveillance and field investigations. Quinn said reliance on shared county fleet vehicles or personal cars with mileage reimbursement has sometimes delayed responses when tips arrive on short notice.
Quinn asked the board for a deviation from standard fleet policy to allow a leased, unmarked vehicle dedicated to the two investigators. He said the county expects to lease a Trailblazer for $517.51 per month, about $6,200 per year, and that roughly $8,000 of an increased Fraud Prevention Investigations grant will be earmarked to pay the first year’s lease costs.
Quinn said the unit’s grant award rose from $125,000 to $189,000 because of increased caseloads and investigative work. He also reported that the county confirmed with the Department of Human Services that the vehicle investment aligns with grant expectations for improving fraud‑prevention infrastructure.
Commissioner Bair asked about how staff check out county fleet vehicles and what happens when no vehicle is available; Quinn explained the county uses an Outlook calendar scheduling system and said the shortage problem arises when multiple vehicles are already booked at short notice. Commissioner Ebinger praised the two investigators’ productivity and presented county‑to‑county comparisons Quinn had supplied, noting that Clay County investigators saved roughly $1.26 million in benefits from prevention work compared with a larger county saving a similar amount with far greater staff.
A motion to lease an unmarked department vehicle for the Fraud Prevention Investigations unit passed by voice vote; the board recorded the outcome as approved. Quinn said he would coordinate with the county fleet manager to proceed with the lease.