The Town of Fountain Hills is replacing eight vehicles in its fleet at a cost of no more than $222,086.

The council approved cooperative purchasing agreements at its Oct. 20 meeting with Berg Ford and Midway Chevrolet to implement the purchases. The approval came on a unanimous vote without discussion from the consent agenda.

The town will purchase two light duty trucks from Berge Ford for no more than $61,214 total and one medium duty truck not to exceed $30,099.

The agreement with Midway Chevrolet includes the purchase of three medium size SUVs, one light truck and one sedan at a total not to exceed $130,772.

The two light duty Ford F-150 trucks, one a 4X4, will be used for code enforcement and facilities/environmental (wash maintenance). The medium duty Ford F-250 will be used at Golden Eagle Park.

Three Chevy Equinox SUVs will be for building safety, Community Services administration and unassigned general use. The Chevy Colorado pickup will be assigned for Public Works Department administration, and the sedan is a Chevy Impala for unassigned general use.

The staff report prepared by Street Superintendent Justin Weldy indicates the vehicles are being replaced based on a 10-year age threshold. He also said that the town has had problems with Ford Escape SUVs hybrid battery systems creating excessive time out of service and repair costs.

Vehicles being replaced will be sent to auction with the proceeds deposited in the Vehicle Replacement Fund. It is also anticipated that one of the trucks will be kept to replace a Street Department vehicle and a second truck will be kept as a reserve for Streets and Community Services.

For vehicle purchases the town has a Vehicle Replacement Program Policy that it adheres to. This includes standards for replacement such as age and mileage. The purchases have been included in the town’s approved 2016/2017 budget plan with the money coming from the Vehicle Replacement Fund.