Danville council approves replacement of aging police vehicles under Enterprise lease; members ask for historical cost data

Council members approved replacing five police vehicles and removing four older units from rotation following a presentation from the police chief and the town’s Enterprise representative.

Chief Hilton told the council that vehicle repairs have strained the department’s repair line: the department requested $40,000 for vehicle repairs but was allocated $17,000 and has spent about $16,000 so far this year. The Enterprise representative described an equity lease proposal that would remove vehicles nearing the end of their life and replace them with newer units. Enterprise estimated roughly $74,000 in fleet equity from five vehicles; after applying lease payments and down payments the estimated town annual outlay for the five-vehicle package is about $26,853.

Councilmembers pressed Enterprise for historical comparisons to confirm the program’s projected savings. The vendor agreed to compile and validate several years of data showing prior expenditures and how the lease program has trended for Danville. The council then voted to approve the proposed vehicle purchases under the Enterprise plan; the motion carried as recorded in the meeting.

Council members noted they will revisit the program’s performance with the historical cost data before repeating or expanding the lease strategy.