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Union Pressure Stalls $7M Fleet Maintenance Contract

Facing conflicting reports on costs and union pressure, the City of Allentown, Pa., council voted to table a $7 million contract for fleet maintenance.

by Staff
October 21, 2017
Union Pressure Stalls $7M Fleet Maintenance Contract

File photo

1 min to read


File photo

Facing conflicting reports on cost, the City of Allentown, Pa., council voted to table a $7 million contract for fleet maintenance, The Morning Call reported.

The union representing some city employees claimed the city could save $420,000 over three years by doing maintenance in-house, with savings coming from not having to pay a management/service fee. The director of Public Works disagrees, stating that in-house work would cost $300,000 more annually than the proposed contract, according to the newspaper.

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The Municipal Garage, under the Public Works Department, is responsible for maintenance and repair and assists with acquisition and disposal. It uses a contractor, Centerra Integrated Servces, to maintain the vehicles — that contractor is in its ninth and final contracted year of work, according to the RFP.

The city operates a fleet of 597 vehicles and equipment, including sedans, light- to heavy-duty trucks, fire trucks, heavy construction equipment, mowers, and police vehicles.

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