M E M O R A N D U M
DATE:
March 15, 2022
TO:
Christine Daniel, City Manager
FROM:
Jeff Jennings, Chief of Police
SUBJECT:
Resolution Of The City Council Of The City Of Emeryville Authorizing The City Manager To Purchase Four Marked Ford Explorer Hybrid Police Enforcement Vehicles In An Amount Not To Exceed $239,249.68 From Folsom Lake Ford
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that the City Council approve the above-entitled resolution to purchase four 2022 Ford Explorer Police Interceptor HEV (Hybrid) SUV vehicles through the State of California Enforcement Vehicle Contract, for a total amount not to exceed $178,647.88. In addition to the purchase price of the vehicle, there is an additional cost estimated at $60,601.80 for the purchase and installation of the emergency vehicle equipment for the four patrol vehicles. This is a scheduled fleet replacement of one 2015 patrol vehicle, two 2016 patrol vehicles and one 2017 patrol vehicles. Funding for this purchase is allocated in the City Vehicle Replacement Fund.
BACKGROUND
The City has a Vehicle Replacement Program which funds the scheduled replacement of City vehicles, including Police vehicles. The Program is funded by annual contributions from Department budgets based on their existing assigned vehicles. Funds accumulate over the useful life of a vehicle in the City’s fleet and are then used to pay for the replacement of the vehicle at the end of its useful life. This approach has reduced maintenance costs and improved the reliability of Police Department vehicles. As a result, the Department has reliable, safe vehicles to provide police services to the community.
As part of the vehicle replacement program, in a process managed by the City Clerk’s Office, Police Department vehicles being decommissioned are sent to auction and sold. Depending on the make, model, condition and mileage of each vehicle, decommissioned patrol vehicles recently have sold at auction yielding payments from $5,000 to just over $13,000. There were five decommissioned patrol vehicles sold at auction on September 23, 2021 and October 28, 2021. Thanks to the work of the City Clerk’s Office, the City of Emeryville received $47,570 in net proceeds from the sale of the decommissioned vehicles.
The following vehicle was due to be replaced in FY2020/2021:
1635 – 2015 Chevrolet Tahoe purchased in January of 2016 which currently has just over 44,000 miles. This vehicle is now outside the manufacturer’s 5-year warranty.
The following vehicles are due to be replaced in FY2021/2022:
1727 – 2017 Ford Explorer purchased in November of 2016 and currently has just over 77,000 miles. This vehicle is now outside the manufacturer’s 5-year warranty. 1753 – 2016 Ford Explorer purchased in April of 2017 and currently has just over 82,000 miles. This vehicle will be outside the manufacturer’s 5-year warranty at the end of April 2022. 1754 – 2016 Ford Explorer purchased in April of 2017 and currently has just over 73,000 miles. This vehicle will be outside the manufacturer’s 5-year warranty at the end of April 2022.
In review of significant repairs over the past year associated with the four vehicles due to be replaced, the following repairs were covered under warranty:
(2) separate catalytic converters replaced
(1) water pump replacement
(1) axle shaft replacement
(1) transmission torque converter replacement
Each of these repairs listed above exceed $1,000.
In addition to the above repairs covered under the manufacturer's warranty, Vehicle 1727 had to have a turbocharger replaced for $2,518. The repair cost was paid by the City as the 5-year warranty had expired.
In addition to these repairs, the Police Department in recent years has experienced significant repairs to patrol vehicles nearing the end of their manufacturer warranty (5 year, 100,000 mile) as well as additional significant repairs that were outside the manufacturer’s warranty.
DISCUSSION
Patrol vehicles are one of the most critical purchases made by a law enforcement agency. Selection of vehicles is determined by reliability, safety, and low maintenance. The 24-hour operation of most police vehicles in an urban environment puts an extraordinary demand upon the vehicles used by our patrol officers.
Of the police fleet vehicles available on the market, staff has learned the larger storage capacity of the SUV models is best suited to carry all the equipment each officer is mandated to take on each patrol shift. Staff has learned that many California law enforcement agencies have adopted the same philosophy and are opting for the SUV-style vehicle to serve the patrol operations. It is therefore recommended that the City continue to purchase the Ford Explorer Police Interceptor model vehicle, however, with the engine requirements described below.
The Ford Explorer offers three different engine options for the interceptor packages; 3.0L Eco boost, 3.3L Direct injection V6 and the 3.3L HEV (hybrid electric vehicle). The Police Department currently utilizes the 3.3L Direct injection V6. This has proven to provide EPD with less maintenance costs as compared to the 3.0L EcoBoost, which we experienced having major engine malfunctions with.
Due to the amount of electrical equipment in a patrol vehicle, the vehicles must constantly keep their engines running to power the equipment. Data surveys conducted by Ford shows Patrol vehicles spend on average 61% of a shift idling. With the rise in fuel costs, cutting back on the amount of time the engine idles can significantly reduce the amount of fuel consumed by our patrol vehicles.
The Ford Explorer HEV interceptor reduces engine idle time by powering the high electrical loads of a police vehicle and its equipment with its lithium-ion battery. During the time a normal gasoline engine would be running while idling, the HEV Explorer engine would only run intermittently to top off the battery charge.
The City’s Vehicle Replacement Program establishes a 5-year lifespan for police patrol vehicles. This life span applies unless the long-term cost of repairing an older vehicle is not as fiscally sound as replacing the vehicle. The 2016 patrol vehicle in the patrol fleet was purchased in FY 2016 and has been in service for six years. This is one year longer than the approved scheduled replacement. The three 2017 patrol vehicles in the patrol fleet were purchased in FY 2017 and have been in service for five years.
Each of these vehicles have exceeded or are three months from exceeding the 5-year powertrain warranty offered by the manufacturer, and three of them have high mileage. The higher the mileage the greater down time for maintenance problems and higher repair costs will be. The Police Department has experienced both greater down time for repairs and higher repair costs with older vehicles.
Staff inquired of Folsom Lake Ford on the timeframe for delivery of patrol vehicles once ordered and was advised that there is an approximate 30-week time span from vehicle order to arrival. In addition to the 30 weeks it takes to receive the vehicles, on average there is an additional 4-week minimum time to have the emergency equipment installed. Thus, the estimated time from when a vehicle is ordered until it can be used for patrolling the City is approximately 34 weeks (8 ½ months).
FISCAL IMPACT
Staff obtained a bid from Folsom Lake Ford, the fleet vehicle dealer who holds the State Bid for the Ford Explorer Police Inceptor vehicles (see attached price quote; this purchase is exempt from the City’s purchasing procedures under section 3-6.02(c)(2) of the Municipal Code because the State has already followed the appropriate competitive public bidding procedures). The proposal is for the purchase of four vehicles scheduled to be decommissioned in FY21/22 and for the purchase and installation of the emergency vehicle equipment needed for each vehicle, as outlined in the Vehicle Replacement Program, Fund 660.
STAFF COMMUNICATION WITH THE PUBLIC
Staff has had no communication with the public on this matter.
CONCLUSION
Staff recommends approval of the Resolution authorizing the purchase of four Ford Explorer Police Interceptor HEV SUVs from Folsom Lake Ford and the purchase and installation of necessary emergency patrol vehicle equipment for a total amount not to exceed $239,249.68. This price includes the purchase price of the vehicles, the estimated purchase price of the needed emergency patrol vehicle equipment, and the estimated price of the installation of the equipment and sales tax.
PREPARED BY: Andrew Cassianos, Sergeant of Police
Jeff Jennings, Chief of Police
APPROVED AND FORWARDED TO THE
CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF EMERYVILLE:
Christine Daniel, City Manager
ATTACHMENTS
Draft Resolution
Price Quotes
Police Department Vehicle Replacement
City Council Meeting | March 15, 2022
C A L I F O R N I A