County chooses local dealership for sheriff’s office vehicles at higher cost

El Paso County is adding more sheriff’s office vehicles to the fleet and trying to keep local businesses in the mix.

The county approved the purchase of nine new vehicles Monday, including sedans, cruisers, pick-ups and SUVs. The contracts went mostly to Silsbee Ford in east Texas, but also to Casa Ford here in El Paso.

Silsbee technically had the lowest bids across the board, but the county has policies that give local business a small advantage over businesses from outside the county. That means for the five midsize sedans, Casa Ford was given the edge, at an extra total cost of $1,028.70.

“This is one of those examples where the county has the ability to go with the local bidder,” County Judge Veronica Escobar said, “if the local bidder is – there’s a three percent cushion, and if the out-of-town bidder ends up a little bit over that.”

The sheriff’s office can expect delivery of the vehicles in about 90 days.