Suttle's greener ride will cost some green

Jim Suttle promised voters a greener Omaha. Now the mayor plans a greener ride, with a new hybrid SUV that will cost taxpayers a pretty penny. In one of his first acts as incoming mayor, Suttle has leased a 2009 Dodge Durango Hybrid SUV for an annual cost of $15,717.

That's $2,157 per year more than what former Mayor Mike Fahey paid to lease a 2008 Chrysler Aspen SUV. The city typically provides a vehicle for the mayor to use on official business. A spokesman for Suttle said the new mayor wants to tout energy efficiency. “We're trying to increase awareness of the use of other forms of technology and different ways of looking at things,“ said spokesman Ron Gerard.

He said the lease, through GMAC, came at a higher cost because the nations' lending collapse last year made leases more difficult to get. The city also is paying more to be able to get out of the lease quickly, if needed, Gerard said. The increased costs come at a time when the city faces a budget shortfall that has forced cutbacks in services such as pools and libraries. Suttle has said that fixing city finances is his No. 1 priority.

Gerard said leasing a hybrid would save gas money. The hybrid gets about 21 miles per gallon. Fahey's city-leased SUV advertised fuel efficiency of 15 mpg. Gerard said he did not have an estimate for how much Suttle would drive the new SUV on official business. City records show that before Fahey’s 2008 SUV was returned Monday, it had about 19,500 miles on it. It was unclear exactly when Fahey started using that vehicle and whether any miles were on it already.

City Councilman Chuck Sigerson questioned the cost of Suttle’s SUV lease. “I’m a little troubled by the monthly expenses of this vehicle,“ Sigerson said.

Sigerson said he didn’t have a problem with Suttle using a “green“ vehicle, but he didn’t understand how the payments were determined. The payments seemed high based on Sigerson’s experiences with vehicle leasing. The Web site leasecompare.com listed a four-year lease offer for a Durango hybrid at $797 a month, or $9,564 a year.

“There’s no precedent here for the use of an alternative fuel vehicle“ by an Omaha mayor, Gerard said. “We can’t compare it to Fahey’s vehicle because (Fahey’s) wasn’t an alternative fuel vehicle.“

Gerard said the mayor would address the “slightly more expensive option“ for Suttle’s vehicle through savings Suttle will seek in the city budget.

The total cost of the Durango’s four-year lease would be $62,868, including interest. The purchase price for a 2009 Dodge Durango hybrid is about $40,000. The total purchase cost would be higher depending on the loan terms from a lender.

Suttle decided to lease because that is how the city traditionally has handled mayor’s vehicles, his office said.

When asked why Suttle didn’t choose a less-expensive vehicle - even a non-hybrid - Gerard said Suttle had campaigned on increasing the use of alternative energy and driving a hybrid fit that message.

Money for the leased official vehicle is allowed in addition to Suttle’s mayoral salary. The current budget lists his salary at $98,000.

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