Reins to tighten on county fleet

The Salt Lake County fleet is set to lose much of the autonomy that county leaders say led to scandal, waste and a $10 million surplus.

The second phase report of a fleet task force is slated to come out next week, and while county officers are mum about the details, the gist of the report will be downsizing of the overstaffed and overfunded division.

To immediately reduce the size of the county's 1,800-vehicle fleet, the report recommends the county scrap most of its rapid rotation program in which vehicles are used for only 12-18 months, Chief Administrative Officer Doug Willmore said.

That system, started in the early 1990s, has turned the county fleet into a makeshift used car dealership where car purchases are based on resale value and more cars are bought than needed, he said.

Based on the findings of the fleet task force, which produced an initial report in May, the rapid replacement model is no longer cost-effective, Willmore added.

"If you bought a new car every year, you know you'd be losing money. Most of the depreciation is in the first year, and it's the same way with cars the county buys," he said.

Now, he said, the fleet will be extending the use for most vehicles to four or five years. Although that may mean higher maintenance costs, Willmore said, the higher retention will translate to long-term savings.

Only patrol cars in the sheriff's department will continue to rotate every year, he said, because those Crown Victorias can be sold for a high price if sold on a shorter cycle.

"Little old Salt Lake County is probably the only place in the country that's offering 1-year-old Crown Vics with light bars. It's the old law of supply and demand," Willmore said. "There's a bunch of municipalities willing to buy them."

But the rapid rotation program still has its staunch supporters, including several County Council members and former fleet boss Nick Morgan.

Morgan, who retired in June after being put on administrative leave, said the county's new approach to fleet doesn't take into consideration how much upkeep will cost on aging vehicles. And as more cars are in the shop for more time, Morgan said sheriff's deputies and others may be without their cars.

The rapid rotation program, he said, has saved the county millions of dollars each year.

"They'll save a little money right up front, but as time goes by, you're going to see a major maintenance creep," Morgan said. "The new direction they're going, I just don't think it will save that much money."

Besides overhauling the rapid rotation program, Assistant Public Works Director Jason Godfrey said the fleet will be transferring to a business model to cut down the $10 million cushion built up over the years.