The adopted FY 22 budget authorizes the purchase of two (2) replacement vehicles and one (1) additional vehicle for a total cost of $77,280.00 for the Community and Economic Development Department (CED). Purchasing vehicles through the FSA contract is the most cost-effective way of purchasing vehicles.
Each year staff evaluates the condition of every vehicle in the fleet and recommends replacements for vehicles with increased operating expenses and uncertain reliability. The two (2) vehicles being replaced are 15 years old.
Additionally, staff has noted although the prices available for the primary vehicles are extremely competitive utilizing the FSA contract, the prices of some add-on accessories on the FSA contract seem excessive. Therefore, staff is recommending procuring safety lights locally after the vehicles have been purchased. These add-ons are outside the scope of the authorization requested in this agenda item and will be purchased through normal purchasing procedures. They are included in the agenda item solely for the purposes of reporting the total expenditure versus the approved budget. The cost of the safely lighting is $4,788.30 for all three vehicles (Exhibit B).
Planning and Zoning (P&Z) and Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) staff have used their personal vehicles for work related travel throughout the City. The new vehicle is intended to be available for P&Z staff to conduct more frequent field visits and conduct zoning inspections. CRA staff will utilize the vehicle for inspections of the downtown area, visits to CRA businesses, as well as other outreach.
Additionally, CED is responsible for the initial damage assessments as part of our emergency management function, necessitating the requirement for these higher-clearance vehicles. Each of these three SUV’s will be utilized in that role as necessary. All three vehicles are hybrids.