Fleet vehicles delivered,
but commissioner is unhappy
Staff writer
Representatives from Fleet Enterprise met with county commissioners Monday to extol benefits of a vehicle lease agreement already signed.
Justin Harper, client strategy manager for Enterprise Fleet Management, listed nine vehicles that were delivered to the county.
Four are for road and bridge, two for the sheriff’s office, and one each for the appraiser office, park and lake, and for the weed, recycle transfer operations. Total cost is $9,184 a month.
Harper said the lease allowed for value left in the vehicle to be returned to the county
“Doing this helps pare down the principlal” he said.
Enterprise sells vehicles at the right time for the best price, and takes the guesswork out of the sale process, he said.
Enterprise takes on the responsibility for having a fleet manager, which Marion County does not have.
Every vehicle is different, but the standard is to replace a vehicle five years or 100,000 miles.
“Three to five years is the sweet spot to sell,” Harper said.
Enterprise almost always sells used leased vehicles through auctions or dealerships.
Harper said he thought employee morale was improved with newer vehicles and employees tended to take better care of them.
Commissioner Mike Beneke was not buying what Harper was selling.
“How do we get out from this farce?” he asked,
Their response was this is what commissioners had already approved.
“I didn’t,” Beneke replied. “I am not in favor of leasing.”
Beneke questioned the $648 cost for changing oil in two sheriff patrol cars twice a year.
“It just doesn’t change oil,” Harper said. He said flushes and engine and transmission issues would be covered.
When vehicles need to be serviced they must be taken to an Enterprise approved mechanic. Midway Motor, Hillsboro Ford, 56 Auto, and Webster’s are allowed.
“The pieces are falling into place over the last three weeks” county administrator Tina Spencer said.
Commissioners also heard an update on battery and data storage from legal counselor Brad Jantz
Jantz recommended a moratorium, which is what Harvey County imposed.
“It’s not a ban,” he said. “It’s entirely up to you. It’s a policy decision that can be amended at any time. That is an advantage with a moratorium.”