PA Officials Delay Fleet Decision

Pennsylvania's Centre Region elected officials put off a decision until February regarding whether to approve the purchase of four replacement Ford Escapes for the code agency. Agency Director Walt Schneider made the case for standardizing the vehicle fleet, based on functionality of the Escape and efficiencies that come from inspectors all driving the same vehicles. The Escapes would replace two 2001 Escapes, a 2002 Ford Ranger, and a 2001 Ford Explorer.

Elected officials on the Council of Governments (COG) Public Safety Committee, which discussed the replacements on January 11, argued for and against the move, and State College Councilman Don Hahn, a new committee member, said the group would benefit from more information about the vehicle costs related to initial purchase, gasoline, and maintenance.

The discussion came one day after Council of Governments Finance Officer Joe Viglione presented 2011 information on every COG vehicle, including purchase price and maintenance costs for the year. Officials last year questioned the way the organization replaces vehicles and the data gathering likely will lead to a formal policy later this year.

The four code vehicles were scheduled for replacement this year according to COG’s Capital Improvement Plan, which serves as a guideline for such actions. All four required significant repairs last year, ranging in cost from $678 to $1,342.

College Township Councilman David Koll argued that the agency does not require such large, expensive vehicles. According to 2009-2010 figures from the Westmoreland Council of Governments, the Escape was $18,625, compared to the Taurus at $19,944, Explorer at $21,735, and Ranger at $16,844.

Schneider felt that swapping vehicles on a daily basis is inefficient and that the ergonomics of a higher-sitting vehicle allow code inspectors to get in and out more easily when doing up to eight inspections in one day.

A look at the Westmoreland Council of Governments' pricing sheet showed a Ford Focus could cost as little as $14,700 and Koll said he’s seen them for $13,000. "We’ve been hammered every year on keeping our costs down and here we are spending $5,000 per vehicle that I feel we don’t need to," he said.

Ferguson Township Supervisor Drew Clemson, who previously managed the township police fleet as an officer, said there are benefits to standardization. "When you instill a sense of ownership...and everybody has the same thing, they take care of the vehicles," he said. "I really believe in that concept."

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