Boulder City, Nevada, will save $398,700 by purchasing golf carts early and piggybacking off a contract from another state. On November 23, City Council approved a five-year $725,300 lease-purchase agreement with the E-Z-Go Division of Textron for a fleet of 100 new golf carts, according to the Boulder City Review.

City Council documents from the Parks & Recreation director show that the city originally planned to purchase the golf carts for the municipal golf course for fiscal-year 2022, budgeted for $1,124,000. However, another agency in Texas recently completed a contract with E-Z-Go set to expire in March 2022. By using this lease-purchase contract before the March deadline, the city can save nearly $400,000.

The current fleet of golf carts is seven to eight years old, and typical life expectancy for these vehicles is five to seven years. In the past 18 months, the carts have rapidly deteriorated with the increase in rounds and a one-golfer-per-cart mandate.

Over the past three years, average annual expenses exceed $37,000 for cart maintenance and repairs. Vehicle batteries continually fail, causing staff members to retrieve and replace six to eight carts daily, resulting in dissatisfied golfers. The director urged for a fleet replacement as soon as possible to avoid poor customer service.

The vehicles being purchased are RXV Elite golf carts. The city will pay about $145,000 annually for five years. Fleet delivery is expected eight to nine months after the agreement is signed.