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WS — Item #6 WORK SESSION STAFF REPORT Work Session Item No. 6 Date: August 4, 2014 To: City Council From: Rick DeGardner, Public Services Director Re: Sending Out Vehicle Repairs, Maintenance, and Inspections Background There have been inquiries from a few Councilmembers concerning the practice of sending our vehicles (Attachment A) outside the city limits for necessary work. Even with our limited staffing (1 full time mechanic and 1 seasonal mechanic), we have a very effective /productive /cost efficient Fleet Department. Other staff members within the Public Services Department assist with preventative maintenance tasks when practical. Vehicles are sent out for a variety of reasons. Specialized work such as body repair, painting, diesel engine overhauls, and DOT inspections are not performed in- house. Ford -model police vehicles are almost exclusively sent to AutoNation Ford to safeguard any potential issues that warranty /recalls may cover. Vehicles and equipment are often repaired at the company where they were purchased. And of course, vehicles are sent out when work orders get backlogged. Lester Rydeen has been our mechanic since 2000. He has developed good relationships with a limited number of vendors that provide great service at reasonable prices. Trust is a big issue when dealing with major repairs, especially police vehicles and large trucks. Attached is a summary of work that was sent out between January 1, 2013 and July 28, 2014 (Attachment B). Throughout the 19 month period, there were 55 total jobs sent out totaling $26,183 (Amounts to 2.9 times per month with average cost of $1,378 per month). I have listed the businesses below with a brief description of how their services are utilized. Auto Nation Ford (12 services, $7,607) — Ford vehicles are sent to AutoNation Ford for their pricing and service. Labor rate is only $65 per hour and we receive a 30% discount on parts. The warranty on repairs and parts is 2 years, unlimited miles. We feel it's a good practice to send police vehicles to an authorized dealer to ensure the mechanics working on Ford police vehicles are properly certified. Servicing police vehicles at a Ford dealership is beneficial in case any repairs are covered by future recall notices. Bee Line Alignment Service (8 services, $1,558) — Bee Line was originally located in Lino Lakes until they moved to a larger facility in Wyoming, MN. Bee Line performs wheel alignments and repairs at low cost and provides good service. They have even