Budget committee reviews multi-year fleet replacement plan; city aims to replace heavily used vehicles over next biennia

Budget staff and department managers presented the city’s fleet replacement schedule and financial plan, telling the committee that the city will focus in coming years on replacing heavily used public-works and police vehicles that have aged during the pandemic period.

Public works and police leaders said the current plan proposes replacing a series of patrol vehicles, a transport van and several medium- and heavy-duty public-works trucks across the next three bienniums. Staff reported 13 fleet vehicles identified for replacement in the near term and described staging the purchases across the biennium to match cash flow; staff noted an ending balance that supports the planned sequence but warned some purchases could slip into later years depending on market timing and delivery.

Committee members asked whether the city could purchase certified pre-owned vehicles to reduce costs. Staff said the department has researched that possibility and is evaluating a certified used transport van (model-year 2022) to stay inside budget for that item; public-works vehicles may be suitable candidates for certified-used purchases, but staff and council members indicated caution for patrol vehicles because of specialized equipment and outfitting costs.

Chiefs and council members discussed logistics of reassigning older vehicles, surplus processes, and how to capture asset/replacement costs in permit and fee studies for long-term sustainability. Staff said they will return with a clearer vehicle-transfer diagram (showing which vehicle replaces which) and with a purchase schedule before the council action expected in late 2025 or 2026.