Date: August 14, 2020
Author: Emily Jones
Location: Columbia, PA
"When: Columbia Borough Council meeting, Aug. 11
What Happened: Council unanimously voted to hire car leasing service Enterprise Fleet Management to manage the borough’s vehicles at a first-year cost of $63,753.58. This will transition the borough to a model in which all cars are leased rather than owned, and resold for maximum potential equity based on age and value.
How It Works: Over the next few years, Enterprise will sell the borough’s owned cars, including emergency and public works vehicles, and replace them with leased vehicles that will be resold at the most advantageous time in terms of equity. In the first year, Enterprise will sell 12 borough-owned vehicles and replace them with 10 leased ones, including five police cars, three public works vehicles and two vehicles for use by Code Compliance staff. Council had previously discussed having Enterprise handle vehicle maintenance as well, but chose not to enter the maintenance program.
The Overall Cost: Enterprise estimated a total effective annual cost of $37,932.14 after equity from reselling leased vehicles.
The Benefits: At the July 7 work session, John A. Santoro, of Enterprise, gave a presentation in which he said the service could save the borough an estimated $617,849 in the next 10 years. In addition, Mayor Leo Lutz said the partnership with Enterprise will provide consistency in the borough’s budget. "
