Saline County Commission Rejects Fleet Lease Agreement Over Legal Review Concerns
The Saline County Commission voted down a proposed fleet management lease agreement with Marshall Motors after several commissioners objected to approving the deal before it had cleared legal review.
County Administrator Matt Stiles told commissioners the county had selected Marshall Motors as its fleet management vendor and was seeking authorization for a master lease agreement, pending approval by the county counselor and Marshall Motors' legal counsel. Under the proposal, the county administrator would have been authorized to execute individual lease orders within a commission-approved budget and later bring them back for ratification.
Stiles said staff had set aside $150,000 for the effort in 2027, which was $50,000 less than the $200,000 originally budgeted. He cited urgency in getting vehicle orders placed, noting that some vehicles would take months to arrive and that a couple of units needed immediate replacement.
Commissioners questioned why the item was being brought forward before legal counsel had finished reviewing it. "I don't understand why we're doing this prior to legal counsel," one commissioner said, raising concerns about approving something that might still change. The chair said she felt the commission would be "bypassing a step that is in my opinion critical."
Jason Stroda of Marshall Motors said the company would amend its contract to match the county's requests as long as it did not create liability exposure, and acknowledged it was possible the document could require further changes.
The motion to approve the request, identified as RFA 2026-110, failed on a roll call vote, with Commissioners Arpke and Hay voting yes and Commissioners Grevas, Sparks, and Weese voting no. Staff noted the commission could call a special meeting if the agreement cleared legal review later in the week.
