Minutes
Vehicle Replacement Advisory Board
Regular Meeting
November 26, 2012
A Regular Meeting of the Vehicle Replacement Advisory Board was held on Monday, November 26, 2012 in the Mayor's Office.
Present were Mayor Bingham, Board Member Glenn Royals, Fleet Manager Emil Castro, Comptroller Alice Proulx, Police Chief Michael Maniago, Police Lt. Wayne Newkirk, City Council representative Gerald Zordan, Board of Public Safety representative James Potter and Mayoral Aide Timothy Waldron. Board of Finance representatives Mark Bushka and Bill Lamoin were absent.
Mayor Bingham opened the informal meeting at 9:30 a.m.
Police Dept. Vehicles
Mr. Castro said the three police vehicles due to be replaced are two 2006 units and one 2007 unit. Their repair costs to date range from $33,000 to $39,000, he said, and they have an average of 120,000 miles. He said that they want to replace them with two sedans and one utility vehicle.
Lt. Newkirk explained that the utility vehicle is a smaller version of an SUV.
Mr. Castro said that $32,100 was budgeted and the expected replacement cost will be close to $33,000. The utility vehicle will cost $1,000 more, and all vehicles will be fully outfitted for Police Use.
Mr. Castro said the new vehicles will run for an additional year (seven years) because there have been no problems seen so far. Chief Maniago agreed and added that a seven-year mindset is needed. He said he will have his officers educated to understand that these vehicles need to last at least seven years, and added that keeping them as clean as possible helps this mindset.
Chief Maniago reminded the Committee that the Police Department is down one vehicle, since one car was dedicated to Canine use.
Mr. Potter questioned the size of the fleet and Chief Maniago explained that every car is used and they don't have a lot of leeway, especially when cars are down for repairs.
Mr. Potter asked if cheaper alternatives, such as 'Expeditions', could be considered for supervisors. Lt. Newkirk explained that supervisor vehicles are outfitted differently.
Mr. Castro suggested pushing the 2007 vehicle replacement off. Mr. Potter said all three could be pushed off until after the next budget season. Mr. Castro said an approval today would still take 3 ½ months before the vehicle is delivered.
Mayor Bingham suggested one sedan and one utility vehicle be purchased.
Mr. Potter said 120,000 miles is not a lot of mileage and Mr. Castro said there is a lot of idle time.
He said when vehicles reach that mileage level, he has to do a lot of intakes.
Chief Maniago noted that 3 different people drive these cars every day in all kinds of conditions through harsh areas. He said these cars take a pounding every day.
Mr. Castro suggested the replacement of #3082 be moved to next year.
Lt. Newkirk said he is concerned about chemical road treatments damaging the cars' undercoating. Mr. Castro replied that he undercoats every vehicle at least once a year.
Mr. Royals said the Police Dept. has done a good job with the vehicles' mileage, and said the City should stick with the Vehicle Replacement Plan.
The Board agreed this purchase should go forward.
City Hall Vehicle Usage /Vehicle Replacement Policy
Mayor Bingham reported that he had meetings with both the Building and Engineering Departments, and said there have been times when the Engineering Department could not go out on calls due to the lack of an available vehicle.
He has drafted a policy that directs departments to consult a shared electronic calendar for car usage, with keys held by the Mayor's Office. After a year, they will reevaluate this plan and see if the number of vehicles can be reduced.
Mr. Castro said he is waiting for a Commercial Driver's License amendment to the policy.
Mr. Royals suggested the old Police cars be considered for City use, and Mr. Castro said he will look into it.
Other Business
Mr. Potter noted that the Fire Department's Ladder Truck is due for replacement in 2016, yet it has recently had a huge refurbishment. He suggested it might be worthwhile to ask the Board of Public Safety to direct the Chief to reduce this vehicle's usage. Mr. Royals agreed that this makes sense.
The meeting ended at 10:07 a.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Carol Anderson
Recorder-of-the-Day
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