It’s rare when the Sedona Fire District’s Governing Board has a split vote on an item but when it comes to a purchase of more than a quarter million dollars, they want to make sure they get it right. 
During the Aug. 20 meeting, the board voted to hold off on the purchase of five new vehicles tallying $274,000, by a 3-2 vote.

The members were in agreement that the purchases were necessary but they chose to hold off on giving approval in order to research if leasing the vehicles was a better option, similar to what the city of Sedona is doing. 

The vehicles being proposed for purchase or lease include the following and costs: 

• The fleet service vehicle replacement will re-equip the fleet maintenance division with a mobile heavy fleet service vehicle. This will allow their mechanic to perform maintenance on apparatus remotely, at the station, or in the field, effectively reducing apparatus down­time. Cost: $145,362.45.

• The three Ford F150s will go into service as command vehicles. Purchasing four-wheel-drive pickup-style vehicles allows them to better access many regions of the district. It also allows SFD to store firefighting and fire inspection equipment outside of the cab of the vehicle, reducing the risk of cross contamination products of combustion, many of them known carcinogens. Pickup trucks also provide SFD with an apparatus that effectively performs in a “second lifecycle” function as an available resource for out-of-district assignments. Cost: $102,121.11.

• They also request to purchase one small van-type vehicle. It will be placed in service as a mobile IT van. This will give the IT administrator mobile on-site functionality and reduce drive times as well as down times for IT-related equipment. Cost: $26,488.77.

“I have no doubt that the vehicles requested are needed in the fleet, especially the mobile mechanic apparatus,” Board Chairman Dave Soto said. “But what I need to look at is how we pay for these things. Although it is in the budget, the fact is it’s almost more commonplace these days across the country to lease.”

By doing so he said it enables the district to have a younger fleet of vehicles that can be turned in and replaced once the lease has expired. Soto said he’d like to see a cost analysis that includes purchasing of the vehicles compared to leasing or a lease-purchase option. However, Soto recommended that the main­tenance truck be purchased outright and to do so immediately.
None of the vehicles in the current SFD fleet are leased.

It was pointed out that one of the drawbacks to SFD leasing certain vehicles is that they are often modi­fied to meet their needs, thus possibly reducing their value even greater when the lease is up.
Board Clerk Corrie Cooperman said she had two main concerns, with the first being whether or not a cost analysis may be a waste of time if they can’t return the vehicles due to the modifications.

“My other concern is, generally with leases they care about how many miles you put on the vehicle,” she said. “We have an unusual district in that we need to cover a lot of miles whereas those who lease in an urban area don’t really have that issue.” To that, Soto said he appreciates Cooperman’s concerns and added, “For us to make a responsible deci­sion for vehicles in this amount for the length of time we may be using them, it behooves us to base that decision on data that is provided to us by staff. This way when we spend the taxpayers’ money, we’re spending it in the best way we possibly can.”