Archuleta County Fleet Manager Waylon Sutton delivered the semi-annual fleet update at the Archuleta County Board of County Commissioners’ (BoCC) May 12 work session, reporting the completion of major equipment projects and a stable budget outlook.
Sutton also shared recent staff changes, including the hiring of Travis Mueller as mechanic II and the promotion of Kevin Rodriguez to shop foreman.
He also discussed major shop projects and systematic vehicle repurposing to stretch limited replacement dollars. These projects included a full rebuild of a county water truck, with new rear suspension and water tanks, repurposing vehicles and the transition to the online BASIC program Fleet 360.
“The shop is currently in the process of rebuilding, reusing and replacing vehicles. We’ve done a lot of shuffling, repurposing vehicles within the county,” Sutton said.
He continued, “I think with how far behind we are with some of the replacements, doing the trickle down effect takes a little bit of work on our part to get those vehicles equipped for their new position in the county, but we’re seeing the results of that.”
Sutton reported five fleet accidents so far this year, including wildlife strikes and a sanding truck that slid off the road but was repairable, noting that most accidents historically involve patrol vehicles.
“Last year, we had a really good year; we didn’t have quite so many [accidents], but I am seeing some numbers indicating an increase this year in our accidents,” he said.
Accident reports are currently reviewed in a safety committee, but Sutton acknowledged there is no formal, countywide crash review board to classify incidents or enforce follow-up.
The department has also begun a countywide vehicle rebranding effort, Sutton shared, with new, standardized county logos installed on vehicles as they come in for service.
He noted that this is a larger, slower process than expected as the county transitions away from multiple legacy logos.
To address clutter and improve organization of large parts and components, Sutton also shared that the county has ordered a 40-foot shipping container to store large radiators and other bulky parts that currently occupy yard and shop space.
When discussing assets, Sutton reported that the fleet budget is stable for what is typically tracked over the first four to five months of the year.
“We are on schedule. We don’t see anything that’s going to be way over budget, or we don’t see anything that’s going to be way ahead under budget,” he said. “We’re kind of right on pace where we’re at with the budget.”
He noted that upcoming magnesium chloride season work on roads will push some larger expenses into the current month that are not yet reflected in the figures, but he does not expect to go significantly over or under budget overall.
Sutton also noted the inherent uncertainty in fleet finances that comes with unexpected breakdowns and accidents.
“It does take a lot to keep it going … I struggle with the budget, just not knowing what we’ve got to fix and when … so I’m always kind of wondering if we’re going to have enough money, because there are just a lot of unknowns with the Fleet Department,” he said.
Looking ahead, Sutton shared that his primary goals are to continue improving service quality to all county departments, invest in training for younger technicians using funds already set aside and support staff developments to build long term in-house capability.
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