2006-08-17 Cost of Government Commission Minutes

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8. DISCUSSION ON LIST OF COUNTY -OWNED VEHICLES Mr. Sakaguchi said he was unable to determine how many County employees there are, but there are 900 vehicles. He said he had four motions he wanted to make. Motion: Mr. Sakaguchi moved that the COGC ask the County departments to reduce their inventory of cars owned by 10 %, as there are a lot of old cars. There was no second to the motion. Motion: Mr. Sakaguchi moved that the COGC ask the County to explore the feasibility of leasing instead of purchasing vehicles in the future. Mr. Joseph seconded the motion. Discussion: Mr. Sakaguchi said that when vehicles are leased, they would become part of a department's operating budget. When they are bought, the County makes a one -time allocation of funds for the purchase. He felt the County ought to pay for its day -to -day operations as it goes along. As an example, Mr. Sakaguchi said the County could purchase a vehicle for $30,000, or it could lease it and spend $5,000 per year for three years. The leasing agent would provide the maintenance of the vehicle, saving the County in this area, and the vehicles would all be newer and well maintained. Not having old "clunkers" would reduce the County's liability and reduce maintenance costs. Ms. Nicholson asked whether this would apply to passenger vehicles only, or to other types. Mr. Sakaguchi said he was thinking of all vehicles, except for specialized ones. He said he could amend the motion to include passenger or general purpose vehicles. Ms. Provalenko said that most leases allot "x" number of miles per year on the vehicle and questioned what would happen to those vehicles, such as in the Public Works Department, which are on the road all the time. Ms. Stremski said they could pay by mileage after, and Ms. Nicholson said that if the issue were explored, departments which put in too many miles could be exempt. Mr. Joseph asked whether the motion now was for all vehicles or just passenger vehicles. Ms. Nicholson said it should include all vehicles, as there could be a reason to lease other types of vehicles, too. Mr. Joseph said the motion had merit, but the word "all" bothered him. Ms. Stremski agreed. Mr. Joseph said if the motion could be modified to explore the possibility of leasing County -owned vehicles, period, he would support it. Motion Amended: Mr. Sakaguchi accepted Mr. Joseph's suggestion as a friendly amendment to his motion. Vote: All members voted aye in support of the motion for the COGC to recommend that the County explore the possibility of leasing County -owned vehicles. Motion: Mr. Sakaguchi moved for the COGC to recommend that the County explore the feasibility of maintaining a common or uniform fleet of vehicles. Mr. Joseph seconded the motion. Discussion: Mr. Sakaguchi said the County currently has many varieties and levels of vehicles by various makers, such as Dodge and Chrysler. He would like the County to classify 11