Grand Rapids municipal fleet has 727 vehicles

The city of Grand Rapids owns, rents, or leases about 727 vehicles, according to a 12-page document obtained through a records request.

Every month, the city pays about $1.2 million, including costs for debt service, maintenance and replacing old vehicles.

The police department has 173 vehicles, the most of any department by far. But it’s not the department with the most expensive vehicles. The city owns about 36 refuse and recycling vehicles that cost it $343,500 monthly.

Meanwhile, 67 street maintenance and sweeping vehicles cost the city about $285,426 monthly.

Here’s a breakdown of vehicles by function or department:

• 173 vehicles for police
• 86 vehicles for fire
• 62 vehicles for street maintenance
• 43 vehicles for water field ops
• 39 vehicles for environmental services department wastewater
• 36 vehicles for refuse and recycling
• 34 vehicles for parks and recreation
• 22 downtown area shuttle buses
• 21 vehicles for code enforcement
• 21 vehicles for environmental services department stormwater
• 16 vehicles for engineering
• 15 vehicle for building inspections

The city’s vehicles span more than 30 years. Some building inspection vehicles are the model year 2026 Ford Maverick XL Hybrids. One fire vehicle is from 1987, and another is from 1995.

Most of the vehicles, about 386, are Fords. The city has 77 international vehicles, 37 Chevrolets and 29 Dodge vehicles.

 

Grand Rapids vehicle list 2026 by mcclallen

In the fiscal 2026 year, the city allocated $21 million to fleet management as part of its $735 million budget.

It takes many vehicles, pieces of equipment and other related items to run a city that spans about 45 square miles. Grand Rapids runs trash and recycling programs, street and wastewater maintenances, police and fire service, and buses.

The city fleet maintains about 1,200 assets: more than 700 vehicles, more than 300 pieces of equipment, and more than 200 miscellaneous items, according to the city’s fiscal services department. The fuel, maintenance, and repair of the fleet cost about $874,449 per month or $10,493,388 per year.

“These operational expenses cover personnel, parts, fuel, as well as direct and indirect operating costs,” the city said in an email. “The city’s Fleet Management department is also responsible for replacement of its pooled fleet according to an asset replacement schedule. Capital costs associated with replacing the fleet varies from year to year, depending on what is scheduled for replacement (i.e., cost difference between replacing eight refuse trucks vs. eight sedans).”

In fiscal year 2026, the city identified 71 assets that need to be replaced with an expected cost of $7.5 million. The budget also allows for $2,114,000 to replace fire apparatuses. The fleet’s capital fund also pays $807,025 in debt service on a bond that funded the purchase and construction of a new Public Service Center, for a total capital budget of $10.4 million.