Mich. City's Parts Budget Soars
Facing a ballooning parts budget for its aging fleet of 205 vehicles, Bay City in Michigan is seeking to nearly double its vehicle replacement fund to $1.8 million.
Facing a ballooning parts budget for its aging fleet of 205 vehicles, a Michigan city is seeking to nearly double its vehicle replacement fund to $1.8 million, reports MLive.com.
Bay City, which is located on Lake Huron, spent $350,000 for the fiscal year ending June 30 for replacement parts such as alternators, clutch assemblies, mirrors, radiators, and spark plugs. The 2014-2015 budget would allocate $428,000 for replacement parts.
To speed up its replacement cycle, the city's public works department will seek $1.8 million from the City Commission to replace 23 vehicles, including pickup trucks with plows, patrol vehicles, and two dump trucks with salt spreaders. The average age of a city vehicle is 10.3 years.
Dave Harran, the city's public works director, has implemented a vehicle scoring system developed by the American Public Works Association that "makes the process of vehicle replacements smoother," he told the media outlet.
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