(DOGE Nevada Staff) – A frustrating Fernley fleet budget gap shows just how far city hall is drifting from reality – $29 million budgeted, yet the city’s records show that from 2012 through mid-2024, it purchased only about $3 million in vehicles and equipment.
That includes trucks, a street sweeper, a few dump trucks, and some heavy equipment. Not cheap, but pretty normal for a city of 25,000 people.
The problem is that Fernley’s budget reports don’t match those numbers at all.
The Numbers Don’t Add Up
According to the city’s budget spreadsheets, Fernley has spent a staggering $25.7 million on its fleet since 2012.
That’s more than eight times what the official fleet inventory shows.
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In 2022–23, the city budgeted just $138,000 for fleet but reported $3.3 million in actual spending.
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In 2023–24, they budgeted $173,000 but said they spent $8.1 million.
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For 2024–25, the city budgeted an unbelievable $29.4 million – almost as much as Fernley’s entire annual budget in past years.
Records from Fernley’s own OpenGov financial portal confirm that fleet spending jumped by 72% in a single year – from $8 million in FY24 to $29 million in FY25.
For a small city like Fernley, that kind of spike is extraordinary and demands explanation.
Recent CivicClerk meeting minutes list new fleet acquisitions, adding up to several hundred thousand dollars; not pocket change. But they don’t come anywhere close to explaining why Fernley is reporting tens of millions in annual fleet spending.
The mismatch is obvious in Fernley’s own reports. The Monthly Budget to Actuals visualization shows flat budgets paired with skyrocketing actuals.
Fernley Fleet Budget Gap Shown In Monthly Budget to Actuals
Fernley fleet budget gap: Fernley fleet costs surged 72% in one year, records show.
Fleet Industry Standards vs. Fernley’s Numbers
Government fleet experts keep close tabs on how much cities normally spend. According to Fleetio, a national fleet management service, the average cost per vehicle is about $6,398 per year.
Even if Fernley had 200 vehicles, far more than expected for a city this size, the total should still be under $2 million per year – including fuel, repairs, and staff.
The federal government, which runs one of the largest fleets in the world, estimates that most sedans and SUVs drive about 7,000–8,000 miles per year.
Using those same benchmarks, Fernley’s $8.1 million in “fleet spending” from last year would only make sense if the city secretly had more than 1,200 vehicles.
That’s absurd.
Theories Behind the Fernley Fleet Budget Gap
There are a few ways to explain this kind of gap:
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Fernley may be running major capital projects (like building a new fleet facility) but booking those costs under “fleet” without telling residents.
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The city could be using “fleet” as a catch-all line to hide spending from other departments.
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Or millions in vehicle and equipment purchases are missing from the official asset list, which raises questions about oversight.
None of these explanations are good for taxpayers.
What This Means for Taxpayers
Wasteful spending at city hall might sound like a local problem, but it hits residents right in the wallet.
Fernley families face paying higher water, sewer, and utility fees while their city government quietly balloons its fleet budget to $29 million.
This isn’t just a Fernley issue either.
Across Nevada, taxpayers are frustrated with state agencies like the Department of Transportation, which has been flagged in audits for missing millions. As Ronald Reagan used to say, “Trust, but verify.”
Right now, Fernley residents can’t verify where their money went.
What Officials Claim
City officials often defend themselves by pointing to “accounting classifications” or “one-time projects.” Maybe that’s true.
But if so, why not explain it openly? Why budget a few hundred thousand and then spend millions without disclosure?
Transparency is the bare minimum taxpayers should expect.
Questions That Need Answers
DOGE NV is pushing to close the Fernley fleet budget gap, asking for the city to release detailed records. We’d like them to provide:
- Fleet 480 reports: Break down operating costs (fuel, parts, labor) separately from capital items like new vehicles, equipment, or facilities.
- Budget amendments: List any mid-year changes to fleet spending in FY23 and FY24.
- Large purchases: Provide purchase orders or invoices for any single fleet purchase over $100,000.
- Fixed assets: Show which purchases were added to the city’s asset register, and explain why others weren’t.
- Internal charges: Release schedules showing how fleet costs are billed across departments and whether one-time capital projects were run through the fleet budget.
Whether it’s sloppy bookkeeping or something worse, Fernley’s budget is off by tens of millions.
If Fernley has a good reason for this spending, they should lay it out clearly. Until then, the numbers don’t add up – and taxpayers deserve straight answers.
The opinions expressed by contributors are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Nevada News & Views. This article was originally published by DOGE Nevada to DOGENV.com on 9/9/2025.
