City operations staff told the Balch Springs City Council on Oct. 13 the city completed a large inventory of vehicles, documented vehicle identification numbers and repurposed parked vehicles, an effort staff said saved the city an estimated $800,000 compared with buying replacements.

Staff said about 180 active vehicles were documented after a cleanup of previously undocumented units. Some vehicles that had been stored or labeled as nonoperational needed relatively minor repairs (batteries, small maintenance) and were returned to service. The city's work with vendor Enterprise includes setting up a vendor portal to track VINs, service schedules and warranty items and to support long-term strategic fleet planning.

Staff described plans to create a multi-year rotation plan for purchases and leases and said the city will determine which vehicles to purchase for long-term retention and which to lease or trade. Staff said certain first-responder vehicles require different replacement criteria because of heavy daily use. The council was told Hickory Road and other capital projects will require close coordination with utilities, and that fleet procurement will be coordinated with the enterprise portal and the city's budgeting process.

Why it matters: an organized fleet program affects operational reliability for police, fire, code enforcement and other city services and can reduce maintenance and procurement costs when managed strategically.

Key figures and next steps: staff said repurposing recovered an estimated $800,000 in value; the city is working to secure titles for older vehicles before auctioning surplus units and plans to include vehicle-sale revenue in future budgets. Staff said they are hiring an additional mechanic and will continue working with Enterprise to establish a documented replacement schedule.

Ending: council members praised the work and offered operational suggestions (mileage thresholds, depreciation schedules); staff will return with a formal replacement plan and procurement recommendations for future budgets.