The City of Dahlonega, Georgia, will begin the process of replacing its existing fleet with new vehicles. On June 20, the City Council approved a resolution to enter into an agreement with Enterprise Fleet Management to begin the replacement process.

According to the resolution, the city currently operates under a five-year improvement program model and has one employee that handles the maintenance for the city vehicles and equipment. With limited funds in the program, the city often keeps vehicles for long periods of time, even when those vehicles begin to incur high maintenance costs.

Under the new agreement, the city plans to turn over a portion of the fleet every three to five years until they are all on a lease rotation. Enterprise will perform maintenance on the vehicles under the term of the lease, allowing the maintenance technician to focus on the city's equipment and fleet of heavy-duty vehicles. In the resolution, city leaders pointed out that having a newer fleet will allow the city to take advantage of newer safety features, backup cameras, and fuel efficiency.

The city will have a set budget for lease payments annually and expects to save over $500,000 in the first ten years of the program.

According to The Dahlonega Nugget, the city's fleet consists of 32 vehicles. Any additions to the fleet will be considered as part of the city's budget process.

In the resolution, city leaders stated that they explored the possibility of leasing electric vehicles (EVs). They explained that they do not believe there is enough data or use by governments to determine whether the purchase of EVs would have the same rate of return as internal combustion engine vehicles.