HUTCHINSON, Kan. — In an effort to save money, the Reno County Sheriff’s Department recently went to hybrid vehicles for patrol cars.
The department has not saved as much money as previously hoped. According to a report that will be presented to the county commission on Tuesday, the cars are saving the county an average of 315 gallons per year, per car, or a total of $821 per vehicle. The figure is with gas prices at $2.60 per gallon. That’s compared with the 2020 non-hybrid patrol vehicles still in use.
The hybrids also cost about $3,100 more than the non-hybrid patrol vehicles. Still, the savings are enough to offset the cost in the current four-year replacement cycle.
The hybrids average about 16.5 miles per gallon compared with 13.8 miles per gallon for the non-hybrids.
Kyle Berg, director of transportation for the county, says they are considering going to a five-year rotation on the vehicles and has been told that extending the use of the patrol cruisers would not be a problem maintenance-wise.
A full report on the vehicles and the rest of the county fleet is a part of Tuesday’s meeting of the Reno County Commission at 9 a.m. at the Reno County courthouse.
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