Cotati City Council
Agenda Staff Report
Item type: CONSENT CALENDAR (ACTION)
To: City Council
Subject: FISCAL YEAR 2026/27 - FLEET VEHICLE PURCHASES
Date: June 9, 2026
Written by: Damien O'Bid, City Manager
Recommendation
It is recommended that the City Council adopt a motion authorizing the City Manager to approve the purchase of budgeted vehicles and authorize the City Manager to execute any necessary agreements to carry out the approved purchases, including upfitting and electric vehicle infrastructure, not to exceed the authorized budget amount by fund.
Background
On June 10, 2025, the City Council adopted the biannual fiscal years 2025/26 and 2026/27 budgets. Included within the budget is funding for programmed vehicle replacements. For fiscal year 2025/26 there were three purchases which could not be completed within the fiscal year and as such they are to be rolled forward into the subsequent budget year (2026/27).
To meet the City Council’s climate change goals and objectives while simultaneously reducing operating costs, the City has prioritized the purchase of our first battery electric vehicles (BEV) for public works. All electric vehicles charged at City facilities use 100% renewable Evergreen energy by Sonoma Clean Power.
Analysis/Discussion
To reduce maintenance costs, improve safety, and lower emissions, the City is continuing to cycle out older vehicles that are reaching the end of their service life. As the City purchases new vehicles, the vehicles and equipment at the end of their service lives are retired and sold per our fixed asset policy. Vehicles are purchased under a pooled vehicle bid, which generally results in the best possible purchase price. Police vehicles and Public Works utility trucks arrive from the dealer without being “upfitted”. This primarily consists of adding light bars, radios, and other similar items specific to each customer, and therefore is not pre-installed. The upfit is part of the total cost of the vehicle and is performed by a third-party installer. In general, third-party equipment has been very delayed due to general supply chain issues, often delaying the upfit of a vehicle by 4-6 months.
The City is also proposing a pilot BEV utility truck (Rivian R1T) to replace an older Ford F250 utility truck. While the fully upfitted BEV will cost approximately $15,000 more than the comparable upfitted F250, the BEV comes with additional features not available in the F250, including a built in air compressor to run pneumatic tools and high-power outlets to charge tool batteries or directly run corded power tools. Neither is possible with the F250 without bringing accessory equipment to perform these functions. Additionally, the City Corporation Yard currently does not have a fixed backup power source, other than UPS batteries for relatively short power outages. Staff are also planning to test the BEV as a backup power source for the Corporation Yard, given the 108.5 kWh battery pack, potentially paired with a stationary battery in the future.
As is the case for all BEVs, it is estimated that this vehicle will result in significant savings over the F250 counterpart that has an EPA fuel economy rating of 9 mpg in the City, but is likely less in the real world with extensive idling done in the Public Works application. BEV’s also don’t require oil changes and rarely require new brake pad changes due to the regenerative braking feature. Therefore, it’s expected to be cost neutral or better over the life of the vehicle.
Prior to selecting this vehicle, staff did extensive research on the BEV options. In addition to features, etc, staff reviewed prior experience with similar upfits, including the software functionality with aftermarket accessories. In particular, it was important that the vehicle manufacturer (and their service centers) directly support upfits. Proximity to a service center was also an important consideration. In the case of the Rivian, the manufacturer directly supports upfitters, and the nearest service center is in Rohnert Park. Additionally, Caltrans recently completed a 500-vehicle upfit with Rivian, including trucks (R1T) and SUVs (R1S), so there is also extensive upfit experience with a very similar public fleet customer.
Financial Considerations
The Fiscal year 2026/2027 budget, including rolled forward vehicles or equipment from fiscal year 2025/2026, includes the following planned replacements at these initial budgeted amounts.
If authorized, vehicle purchases would stay within the indicated budgeted amounts in each fund.
Environmental Issues
The action of purchasing replacement vehicles does not constitute a project as defined by California Environmental Quality Act Guidelines Section 15378; therefore, no further environmental review is required.