Date: March 31, 2021
Author: Joe Curtis
Location: West Monroe, LA
"Winnsboro entered into a 10-vehicle lease agreement with Enterprise Fleet Management.
The lease was agreed upon at a special-called Winnsboro Town Council meeting March 26. The measure was passed unanimously by Town Councilmen Tyrone Coleman, Jerry Johnson and Rex McCarthy. Councilmen Keith Berry and Eddie Dunn were absent.
The four-year lease is designed to save Winnsboro money while replacing the town’s current aging fleet, according to Mayor John Dumas.
“By partnering with Enterprise Fleet Management, it is estimated that the Town of Winnsboro will reduce maintenance costs by 72 percent,” said Karen Molberg, Enterprise account executive. “By shifting from reactively replacing inoperable vehicles to planning vehicle purchases, the city will be able to replace 10 of its oldest vehicles within a year and save approximately $22,580.”
According to Enterprise documents, Winnsboro will save approximately $250,000 over eight years and reduce maintenance costs by 72 percent.
Ninety percent of Winnsboro’s current light and medium-duty vehicles are more than 10 years old, according to Enterprise documents. The lease is open-ended meaning Winnsboro could end the agreement with no early termination, mileage or abnormal wear and tear penalties, according to Enterprise documents.
When asked when Winnsboro will receive the new vehicles, Dumas said, “depends on the type of trucks.”Included in the 10 vehicles are one-ton, three-quarter-ton and half-ton trucks along with a minivan.
Winnsboro will declare current older, high-maintenance vehicles that have no foreseen use or value as surplus, according to the resolution. With claiming vehicles as surplus, Winnsboro can advertise them for sale.
Meanwhile, Town Council members unanimously adopted a resolution enabling Police Chief Will Pierce to reclaim all or part of a policeman’s salary if he or she leaves two years or less after graduating from the police academy.
Winnsboro Police Department pays for the officer’s education at the police academy, their salary while attending the academy plus equipment and uniforms. Pierce estimated it cost the department a total of $12,000 plus equipment and uniforms to train officers.
Officers will have to pay 100 percent of the cost if they left the department six months to a year after the academy. If they left one year to 18 months, officers would have to pay 50 percent of the cost and 10 months to two years 25 percent of the cost.”
