Commissioners Moving Forward with Fleet Reduction
County vehicles are parked near the County maintenance shed along North Grant Avenue in Kittanning. Effective July 1, only three elected County officials and the K-9 Sheriff Deputy will be able to access take-home vehicles as many are being sold online.
by Jonathan Weaver
Effective July 1, only three elected County officials and the County K-9 officer will be able to utilize take-home vehicles to respond to emergencies.
The new policy - unanimously adopted by Commissioners Pat Fabian, Jason Renshaw and George Skamai Tuesday – will allow District Attorney Scott Andreassi, Sheriff Bill Rupert, Coroner Brian Myers and Armstrong County Sheriff Deputy Theresa Gipson (and handler of K-9 Blak).
Commissioners and Director of Administration Jennifer Long counted more than 15 take-home vehicles that used to be available to other officials in the above-three departments and maintenance.
Commissioner Skamai said the 75 percent reduction correlates with some vehicles currently used by Armstrong County officials and staffers being sold online during the next three months.
In April, Executive Director of Administration Dan Lucovich said the total of 16 vehicles are from various departments in the county – including from agencies not located on Market Street in Kittanning, such as the Area Agency on Aging and the Armstrong County Jail in Rayburn Township.
The 16 vehicles range from a 1996 Ford E Van to a 2008 Pontiac Torrent, and will be sold in lots of five on Municbid during the next three months. Lucovich said, while some may have faulty equipment or high miles, some are just not needed anymore.
One of the three Chevy Trail Blazers up for sale was the commissioners’ office vehicle.
The list of vehicles is costing the County approximately $20,000 annually to maintain.
Commissioner Chair Pat Fabian said the sale is part of commissioners’ overall mission to save money and reduce the vehicle fleet.
“Every vehicle on here costs us insurance, parts and maintenance,” Fabian said. ‘What do we need’ is the big question we asked.”
In April, County officials first collected bids for five vehicles – including two Chevy Impalas and three Chevy Trailblazers – via Municibid and officials are currently taking bids until the end of the month for an additional Chevrolet Impala, a Chevy Silverado Truck and a Ford Expedition.
All vehicles are being sold “as is.”
Commissioner Renshaw thanked Commissioner Skamai for answering questions from County department leaders about the vehicle sales.
Commissioners consulted with Fleet Maintenance Manager Marty Coleman on the vehicle sales.
Any money collected during the sale will go into the County General Fund.
Local News | jweaver June 23, 2016
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By Watchingfromadistance, June 23, 2016 @ 8:57 AM
If only four cars are going home (sheriff, deputy, da,and a deputy), why is the ema chief still taking his home every night?
By ktown_kid, June 23, 2016 @ 11:54 AM
So you get rid of these vehicles at a fraction of what they are worth but this won’t even cover one new vehicle if you need to replace it. How about job creation? Have any of you three commissioners tried recruiting a business into the industrial park yet? 2 of the 3 are out of their league in the politics game. Renshaw is suspending people without pay, fabian is running around like a rabid bulldog and skamai being smart and hiding in the shadows.
By Rainbow Rider, June 23, 2016 @ 2:05 PM
Maybe tightwad jensen could buy a lot to replace his year round beater. Heard that the Porsche he mentioned is his wife’s! And it’s like 30 years old. LOL
By jorn jensen, June 24, 2016 @ 6:30 AM
I believe that the $20,000 number is just the routine vehicle maintenance - I do not believe that it accounts for registrations, inspections, insurance. The reality is that the number is much higher than $20,000.
Kudos to the commissioners for doing this. George Skamai did state this during the commissioner race - it is the truth and it is being carried through. Promises made during an election run should be carried through, right? Simple things like “Will hold the line on taxes.” might be another promise to carry through. I don’t recall any of the present 3 commissioners promising to bring in industrial jobs and companies - please correct me if I am wrong. I certainly would like to see work come into this area.
Excuse me, but what emergencies does the DA need a county vehicle for? Please explain.
Rainbow Rider - You are such a petty busybody worrying about what I own and drive. The Porsche is a 1984 Carrerra Targa. Come to the Worthington Farmers’ and Car parade on Tuesday, June 28th, 6:30 PM, and I’ll ask my wife to let you sit in it. You’ll also see a beautifully-restored 1942 Crosley convertible coupe, known as a ‘pre-war’, among many other beautiful vehicles. Why not bring your antique or collectible vehicle and you’ll get one of the dash plaques that I made.
The EMA vehicle is an F350 diesel dually - very expensive to operate and maintain. It supposedly makes the North Buffalo/Kittaning runs daily - on the backs of the taxpayers. Of course that needs to stop.