City Declares Multiple Police & City Vehicles Surplus, Moves Them to Online Auction
- Steve Jurrens
- May 4
- 2 min read
Northeast Radio SD News – Watertown, SD - The Watertown City Council voted unanimously Monday night to declare several city vehicles and equipment items as surplus, clearing the way for them to be sold through Purple Wave online auction. The action followed a brief discussion of the city’s fleet management strategy and the rationale for cycling out certain vehicles.
This item was originally part of the consent agenda but was moved to the regular agenda after Council member Michael Heuer requested discussion.
City Manager Alan Stager explained that the vehicles — including a 2018 Ford Explorer with 103,000 miles and a 2015 Dodge Charger with 112,000 miles — were selected for removal based on a new, more structured fleet review process.
Stager highlighted the city’s internal Fleet Management Committee, which includes representatives from police, fire, streets, and parks:
“We periodically review the fleet and determine when cars get moved into other departments versus when it makes sense just to dispose of the asset.” — City Manager Allen Stager
He added that some vehicles have body damage, mechanical issues, or simply no longer fit operational needs.
Stager also revealed that Watertown has been operating with more vehicles than necessary.
“We have too many vehicles for the number of people we have.” — Stager
He said the city is actively working to reduce fleet size, and this batch of surplus vehicles is part of that long‑term plan.
Councilman Heuer asked for clarity on whether the city is downsizing or simply cycling out older units:
“Are we surplussing them with the intent that we're minimizing our fleet size… or did they just reach the point of switching them out?” — Councilman Heuer
Stager responded that both are true — the vehicles have already been replaced, and the city is intentionally shrinking the fleet.
After discussion, the council voted unanimously to approve the surplus declaration.
