Commissioners approve Sheriff's Dept. request to order 4 new vehicles for 2026 from Oliver Ford

The Marshall County Sheriff’s Department will be ordering four new vehicles with funds in the 2026 budget after the County Commissioners gave their approval. 

Earlier this month, Captain Jeff Snyder told the commissioners that the department will replace three Ford Explorer Interceptors and a Ford F-150 Responder.

Bids were presented from Bremen Auto Park and Oliver Ford Lincoln.  Snyder said the MSRP (manufacturers' suggested retail price) is identical because both dealerships used the state bid for police packages. The difference came from incentives and discounts.  While both were very comparable and aggressive with their pricing to keep the Sheriff Department’s business, Oliver Ford was $1,046 lower than Bremen Auto Park.

Captain Snyder recommended awarding the quote for the four new police vehicles to Oliver Ford Lincoln. 

The commissioner's approval allowed the Sheriff’s Department to place the order now. The vehicles won't arrive until next spring.  At that time, they will complete the vehicle purchase agreement and determine what vehicle will be traded in or sold at auction. 

Commissioner Jesse Bohannon asked what criteria are used to determine when it is time to replace a vehicle, and Captain Snyder said year, mileage, and maintenance issues.  Snyder explained that the three All Wheel Drive Interceptors will go into the patrol fleet, and generally, the department gets 4 to 5 years of use from them. After that, they are rotated into a spare position or civilian position, and after that, they will be traded in. 

There are 29 vehicles in the Sheriff Department’s fleet, and purchasing 4 new vehicles each year is the minimum needed to maintain the fleet. There are 21 full-time officers with assigned vehicles, 4 civilian or reserve vehicles, and 4 spares. 

The total cost to place the order with Oliver Ford for four vehicles is $176,871.