Title
Transportation Department recommending the Board approve the permanent assignment and overnight retention of County vehicles for four Maintenance Division classifications and one SLT Engineering/West Slope Construction Division classification.
FUNDING: Road Fund.
Body
BUDGET SUMMARY: |
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Total Estimated Cost |
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$ 16,600 |
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Funding |
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Budgeted |
$ 16,600 |
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New Funding |
$ |
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Savings |
$ |
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Other |
$ |
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Total Funding Available |
$ 16,600 |
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Change To Net County Cost |
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$ -0- |
Fiscal Impact/Change to Net County Cost:
The annual cost for all five vehicles to be retained overnight is estimated at $16,600 per year based on an average round trip commute of 30 miles per day, 220 working days per year and the average Fleet billing rate for the vehicles assigned of .40 per mile. The gas is also inlcuded at an average estimated cost of $3.40 per gallon.
Background:
On July 16, 2002, Item 19, your Board approved the permanent assignment and overnight retention of County vehicles for the following Department of Transportation classifications: Deputy Director, Maintenance and Operations, Highway Superintendent and Equipment Superintendent. The approval was made in accordance with Section 5 of County Policy D-4 , "Vehicle Use - Privately Owned & County Owned Vehicles."
The County's Policy D-4 has been amended since the above reference Board action in 2002. The criteria for assignment and retention of County vehicles has been updated in Section B, 2 of the amended policy, now titled "Vehicle Use, Standards, Procurement and Disposal." The amended policy requires the Board's initial approval for permanent assignment and overnight retention of a County owned vehicles and annual review by the Chief Administrative Officer for continuation of the practice.
Reason for Recommendation:
Maintenance Division: Your review and authorization of permanent assignment and overnight retention of County vehicles is requested for the same three Department of Transportation classifications that were approved in 2002: Deputy Director, Maintenance and Operations, Highway Superintendent, Equipment Superintendent. All three are management classifications that are salaried and are exempt from additional compensation in the form of overtime and on-call pay when they are called to respond to emergencies. There are four employees filling the three classifications listed above because there are two allocations for Highway Superintendent, one for the Tahoe Basin and one the West Slope.
All three classifications are responsible for responding to emergency situations related to public safety and the protection of property on a 24-hour basis. The superintendents and Deputy Director are the first names on the list of maintenance personnel who are contacted by Central Dispatch when an emergency situation occurs after business hours. The vehicles they use are specially equipped with two-way radios and emergency lights and carry tools and materials to assist with responding to road related emergencies.
Based on the nature and location of an emergency, the manager may respond personally or may call other staff to resolve the issue. Central Dispatch provided data from last fall and winter indicating that on average 30 after hours calls were received per month. While calls may be lighter in the spring and summer months, they nonetheless occur and the Department is required to respond in a timely manner. In addition to the call-outs, managers have responded to five major disasters over the past ten years. These events which have included floods, slides and fires have required management staff to be available to address public safety concerns.
Due to the unpredictable nature of emergencies, it is in the best interest of the County be prepared to respond at all times. By authorizing permanent assignment and overnight retention of County owned vehicles for the four employees in the classifications of Deputy Director of Maintenance and Operations, Highway Superintendent and Equipment Superintendent you will have qualified Department of Transportation representatives equipped to respond to situations related to public safety and the protection of property in a timely manner.
The request for permanent assignment to the classifications listed above is made to ensure that the vehicles are available to those individuals for the performance of their duties both during and after regular business hours.
The alternative to permanent assignment and overnight retention of County vehicles for the above listed classifications is that the vehicles would be placed in a pool during the day and would remain in the Placerville or Meyers yards after business hours. It would be difficult for the employees in the three classifications for which permanent assignment is requested to perform their duties without the availability of a vehicle since the work and staff they manage is primarily in the field. Without overnight retention of a vehicles, managers responding to after hours emergencies would have to drive from their current location to the yard to pick up the County vehicle and then to the scene of an emergency or disaster. Response time is critical and law enforcement and emergency personal regularly request an arrival time, which if extended, will result in grater liability and/or a hazardous condition.
Deputy Director: Additionally, the Department of Transportation requests the addition of permanent retention of vehicle be assigned to the Deputy Director, South Lake Tahoe Engineering/West Slope Construction. This Deputy Director's assignments require him to travel to SLT a minimum of once per week - and daily travel is required throughout the remainder of the West Slope to review construction projects.
It is not only a benefit to the County when this Deputy Director leaves/returns from his home whenever his assignment require that he be in Tahoe - but also because his responsibilities require him to focus on West Slope Construction projects - and usually starts his shift out in the field.
Action to be taken following Board approval:
The Department of Transportation will implement the Board's direction.
Contact: Tom Celio x 4905
Concurrences: