 The "Lexington Herald-Leader" noted in 2010 that the department's fleet had grown from 178 to 206 vehicles since 2007 while the state's fleet had shrunk by 5%, and that all but three of the department's vehicles were fewer than four years old.A department spokesman defended the moves, citing decreased maintenance costs and higher resale values of vehicles being replaced.The "Lexington Herald-Leader" noted that such incidents could undermine Williams and Farmer's traditional Republican message of the need for less government spending.