STAFF REPORT TO THE CITY COUNCIL
DATE: Regular Meeting of October 11th, 2022
TO: Members of the City Council
VIA: Dante Hall, City Manager
SUBMITTED BY: William Imboden; Chief of Police
SUBJECT: Patrol Vehicle Acquisition
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Authorize the City Manager to contract with Folsom Chevrolet to purchase three new Chevy Tahoe Patrol Vehicles at a cost not to exceed $182,371.20, and to outfit these vehicles with equipment purchased and installed through LEHR Pursuit Vehicles of Pittsburg at a cost not to exceed $65,000 for a total cost not to exceed $247,371.20.
FISCAL IMPACT OF RECOMMENDATION:
The total cost of the agreements with Folsom Chevrolet and LEHR will require additional appropriation in FY 2022-23. Staff recommends that the City Council amend the Fiscal Year (FY) 2022-23 General Fund Budget. There are sufficient funds available in the Vehicle Replacement Fund to absorb the cost. A resolution amending the City’s FY 2022-23 Budget has been prepared for the City Council adoption.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
The Hercules Police Department has twelve (12) vehicles in its Patrol Fleet. Vehicles are replaced on an irregular basis as they begin to wear out, and the City Council has previously authorized six new vehicles since 2019. However, due to mechanical issues, parts supply issues and replacement delays, the fleet is down to six regularly working patrol vehicles. Three of the six inoperable vehicles have been removed from the fleet due to the excessive cost to repair them. Council approved the purchase of three replacement vehicles in the FY 2022-23 Budget however these vehicles have not arrived yet, and now three more vehicles are beyond repair.
Ford Motor Company has announced they are no longer taking orders for new Police Interceptor vehicles through the calendar year 2023. Any new orders will not be delivered until 2024.
DISCUSSION:
The Patrol Fleet consists of a total of twelve vehicles, all of which are Ford Explorers with the Police Interceptor Package. In the 2019-20 annual budget the City Council authorized replacing three of the vehicles with high mileage and excessive repair issues. Staff ordered three new hybrid Ford Police Interceptors however, since taking possession of them all three have experienced major mechanical breakdowns and electronic malfunctions during their use. Staff has made several claims with Ford Motor Company to have them replaced but beyond warranty repairs the claims have been denied. The California Lemon Law does not apply to fleets with more than three vehicles, and the Better Business Bureau declined to take Staff’s complaint to arbitration through their buyback program. As a result, in addition to the three vehicles already out of service the three hybrid vehicles are continuously in and out of the shop, effectively reducing the fleet to six dependable vehicles.
In anticipation of the Council authorizing three new vehicles in the FY 2022-23 budget year, staff placed an order in March of 2022, knowing there were delivery delays due to parts shortages and high demand. These vehicles should have replaced older, high mileage vehicles but have been earmarked to replace the defective hybrid vehicles, unfortunately, they have not arrived yet and Staff has been notified that they are not yet in route from Michigan. No delivery date has been given however Staff still anticipates receiving these vehicles and putting them into service. Even with these vehicles in operation, the fleet will be short unless three more vehicles are purchased to replace the high mileage vehicles already cycled out.
On October 3rd, 2022, due to minor issues with three of the remaining six operating vehicles in the fleet Patrol was down to three working patrol vehicles for a period of 48 hours. With the fleet this dangerously low, Officers had to limit the type and level of proactive policing they conducted during this period.
In speaking to other agencies in Contra Costa County about possible remedies Staff learned that the Contra Costa Sheriff’s Office Fleet Manager can purchase pursuit-rated Chevrolet Tahoes from Folsom Chevrolet and receive them within two weeks on average, and Folsom Chevrolet regularly has Tahoes available for purchase.
One of the benefits of continuing to replace Ford Interceptor Patrol Vehicles with other Fords was the ability to swap the reusable equipment from the outgoing vehicle into the incoming vehicle (i.e., equipment mounts, safety barriers, and restraint equipment, etc.), limiting the upfront costs of replacing vehicles. Beginning in 2023 Ford began making slight changes to their vehicle layouts, effectively limiting the amount of equipment that could be swapped over. Even if the Ford Interceptors were readily available the cost to put one in service would include total equipment replacement costs. With that in mind, the impact of adding Chevrolets to the patrol fleet is negligible when compared to sticking strictly to Ford.
Staff contacted Folsom Chevrolet for a quote to purchase three vehicles under the umbrella of the State Purchasing Bid used by the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Fleet Manager. Folsom Chevrolet provided a quote per vehicle of $60,790.40 (attached).
In addition, staff contacted LEHR Pursuit Vehicles for a quote to purchase and install the equipment needed for a Tahoe. LEHR stated they would provide a quote but not in time for this staff report to be completed, but stated we could estimate the cost to be “a few hundred dollars more” than their quote for outfitting our Ford vehicles. As such the Ford quote has been attached to this report as an estimate of the cost to outfit the Chevrolet and the total price requested in this report has been rounded up by $303 per vehicle.
ATTACHMENTS:
Folsom Chevrolet quote
LEHR quote for Ford vehicle
Resolution