"Did that have anything to do with the mission of the vehicle? No. By moving away from rapid rotation, it will cause us to focus on the use of the cars," Patterson said. "It will be healthy for the organization."

A Citizens Review Panel evaluation of the fleet in December also cited flaws in the rapid rotation system that may lead to increasingly higher-priced cars and underutilization of the fleet. Keeping mileage low would directly boost resale value and could prompt the deliberate purchase of more cars than is necessary simply to limit mileage, the report said.

But the rapid rotation does have its supporters, including former fleet director Nick Morgan, who announced his retirement last week after being put on administrative leave. Morgan and other devotees of the quick-turnaround method say it saves on maintenance costs and ultimately saves time and money for the county.

Temporary fleet director Jason Godfrey, however, said that reasoning doesn't show up in the numbers. Initially, the county saved money by buying the vehicles at a wholesale price and reselling them on the retail market.

But after used-car dealerships griped about the government competition, county leaders decided to sell only to other governments or directly to dealerships. Now that the cars are being bought and sold for wholesale prices, there's not a lot of money to make, Godfrey said.

"There's no cost advantage," he said. "The whole premise behind the program really changed when we were no longer selling retail."

What money is saved by reducing maintenance on newer vehicles is also diluted by the cost of putting amenities like decals and police lights and equipment on each new vehicle, he added.

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E-mail: estewart@desnews.com