The Snohomish County Council on Wednesday unanimously passed Ordinance 23-095, which allows for the donation of county-owned surplus vehicles to government agencies or nonprofits in the community, according to a news release.

Past policy only allowed for county vehicles which reached the end of their useful life to be disposed of by auction, destruction, recycling or disposal.

“I am proud to encourage this program for our county government to support the good work that nonprofits do in our communities every day,” said Councilmember Megan Dunn, who suggested this proposal. “Allowing for surplus vehicles in good working order to be donated to nonprofits instead of selling them at auction for pennies on the dollar will provide a greater good in our community. Many thanks to the Executive’s Office for their collaboration on these efforts to ensure that our service providers are better able to meet the needs of those they serve.”

“This is an example of great work by the Snohomish County Council,” said Snohomish County Executive Dave Somers. “Our nonprofit and governmental partners will now have access to used county vehicles, and it extends our ability to serve our residents. This saves money for our nonprofits and allows us to dispose of vehicles in a sustainable way. I commend everyone involved in developing this important policy.”

The ordinance provides that the surplus county vehicle is in good working order and that county data and inventory tags have been removed. Additionally, the nonprofit must have the ability to provide Snohomish County indemnification and proof of vehicle liability insurance. The nonprofit would also pay all licensing, registration and title transfer costs associated with the donation.

With the passing of this ordinance, the process for government agencies and nonprofits to apply for a vehicle will soon be established.