The county won’t be getting much mileage out of a resolution to purchase new vehicles for the Warren County Sheriff’s Department due to language tying the $125,000 in funding to a minimum 25 mpg fuel efficiency rating for the SUVs.The original proposal was based on an earlier model of a Ford SUV that was rated at 25-27 mpg. As a result, the resolution specified a minimum fuel efficiency rating of 25 mpg. The specification was designed to help reduce fuel costs for the sheriff’s department due to the rapidly rising cost of gasoline.However, the subsequent model year of the Ford SUV was outfitted with a slightly larger block engine resulting in a reduced rating of 22-23 mpg.Chief deputy Tommy Myers attended a meeting of the county’s Budget and Finance Committee on Tuesday to discuss the issue.“When this first started and it came up about the gas mileage, I talked to Terry Kidd, who has been getting the bid on all our vehicles, and at that time he said they would get 25 to 27 mpg,” Myers said.
County puts brakes on all-wheel-drive SUVs