Osage County approves Axon taser replacement purchase order

The Osage County Commission voted Nov. 25 to approve purchase order number 4055 in the amount of $23,000 payable to Axon Enterprise Inc. The payment is the first annual installment toward a multi-year replacement program county staff said totals $146,244.

County staff described the vendor proposal as a five-year arrangement: a first annual payment of $23,000 followed by four annual payments of $30,811. Staff said there is no interest charge on the payment schedule because the first-year amount reflects trade-in credit for older tasers and that training cartridges and duty cartridges were included at no charge for the five-year term.

Commissioners asked whether paying the full program cost up front would yield a discount; staff said the vendor did not offer a cash discount. Commissioners discussed funding the annual payments from the sheriff vehicle/equipment reserve (vehicle fund 207) so the county could leave reserves invested until needed. The sheriff’s office confirmed the old devices would be destroyed and not transferred to other agencies.

A commissioner moved to approve the purchase order to Axon; the motion was seconded and passed by voice vote. The county treasurer/staff will record payment out of vehicle fund 207 and track the multi-year payment schedule in future budgets.

Next steps: staff to update budget tracking for the five-year payments and confirm disposal procedure for returned equipment.