County Workers Get A Lift From New Vehicles Extended-Cab, 4-Wheel-Drive Pickups; Roomier Sedans Will Get Job Done Better, Say Officials

Spokane County employees will get some, but not all, of the new cars and trucks they say they need before summer.

On Tuesday, county commissioners approved buying 11 of 20 vehicles on a list submitted by county department heads. They rejected the entire list in March, saying some of the cars and trucks were too luxurious.

Some of the nine vehicles cut from the list Tuesday included options commissioners don’t think taxpayers should buy. Others were intended to replace cars that still have some life in them.

The changes weren’t good enough for Commissioner Kate McCaslin, who refused to vote for the purchase.

She questioned why Ford Tauruses are replacing some smaller cars and why some standard pickups are being replaced with trucks with four-wheel drive and extended cabs.

“If they could get by with two-wheel drives before, why do we need four-wheel drives now?” McCaslin asked. “If they could get by with regular cabs, why do we need extended cabs?”

Also, McCaslin said, “I’ll never vote for a car with cruise control,” a $225 option on some of the cars.

Utilities Director Bruce Rawles said four-wheel drive will help his staff reach flooded homes and respond to other emergencies. The option costs about $2,500, he said, and adds about half that much to the value of a truck when it’s time for the county to resell it.

Engineer Bill Johns said the roomier pickups he requested will make his staff more efficient. They can carry more of the supplies and documents they need to do their jobs.

“A lot of these people live in their rigs,” Johns said. “Rather than go with a larger pickup, we find it more economical to go to an extended cab.”

, DataTimes