AGENDA CAPTION:
Title
Receive a presentation regarding the Police Department’s take-home vehicle program, and receive a presentation and provide feedback regarding a proposed fleet surcharge for Police vehicles used for secondary employment.
Body
Meeting date: June 3, 2025
Department: Police Department
Amount & Source of Funding
Funds Required: 24,032.65
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Funds Available: 24,032.65
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Fiscal Note:
Prior Council Action: On October 31, 1983, the City Council approved a resolution for the financing of (20) police vehicles and equipment. During the discussion, Police Chief Galchutt explained that he was adopting a policy that would allow officers to take their vehicles home. Discussion points raised by staff and council included the cars lasting 5 to 6 years due to less mileage and maintenance. The item was approved.
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Background Information:
On April 1, 2025, while the Council was discussing an amendment to a Flock contract for the funding of an additional (19) grant-funded cameras, Council expressed the desire to have a Work Session regarding a surcharge for Police fleet usage during secondary employment. This request was then broadened to include a review of the Police Department’s take-home vehicle program.
The Department’s program has been in use since 1983. It is a nationally recognized recruiting/retention strategy that is used across Texas and the nation. Take-home vehicles optimize accountability, length of service and durability of each assigned vehicle, reduce the physical footprint at an already crowded police station, and provide direct operational impacts when officers intervene on in-progress calls while commuting to or from home. The number of employees who perform ancillary/additional duties is currently 77, as shown:
The approximate fiscal costs in a year are $24,032.65, based on home to city limits as the crow flies for 108 vehicles. After-hours callouts numbered 46 for SWAT in 2024, Drones (23), Robotics (19), Victim Services (10), Collision Investigation Team (13), Crime Scene Investigations (14), and 21 after-hour callouts for detectives with another 8 during hours that extended beyond their assigned shift, as shown below:
Of the 108 assigned vehicles, 25 are within the city, 39 within 5 miles, 28 within 10 miles, and 16 within 15 miles. Peer/comparison cities offer a similar recruitment/retention strategy, with distances varying from 12 miles to unlimited.
To cease the take-home program would cause significant operational impacts, including but not limited to: add more full-time employees to transition fleet vehicles every three years as well as handle increased maintenance costs due to higher mileage; fewer employees willing to perform ancillary duties; there are not enough parking spaces at the Department (currently 164, would need ~269 without any consideration given to training classes hosted at the Department); could suffer significant losses due to a weather event if all vehicles were co-located; overtime and mileage costs would increase; and recruiting/retention would be adversely impacted.
As for secondary employment, the Police Department proposes a fleet surcharge akin to what rental car companies charge, since their fees already consider maintenance and profit margins. The median daily rate in the San Marcos region, from Austin to New Braunfels, is $171.90 for a full-size SUV. Enterprise offers a 5% discount for government use, which translates to $163.31/day, or $6.80/hour. Officers would be charged $6.80 / hour for each hour a vehicle is used for secondary employment. Officers who are outside of the City would be charged 1/2 of that hourly rate ($3.40) to commute round-trip to secondary employment. This assumes the officer was not already commuting into the City for an assigned/regular shift.
These fees would be deducted from their paychecks to ensure consistency and uniformity.
Council Committee, Board/Commission Action:
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Alternatives:
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Recommendation:
Staff recommends adoption of the fleet surcharge at $6.80/hour when a police vehicle is needed/required, and $3.40 to commute to and from a secondary employment location when the vehicle is not needed/required.