MAPS 3 Central Park and the Myriad Gardens | News OK
MAPS 3: The Ballot | News OK
MAPS 3 convention center site is being questioned | News OK
Architectural award goes beyond Oklahoma City's MAPS 3 | News OK
http://npaper-wehaa.com/oklahoma-gaz...rticle=1744186
And Yet More Discussion on the Convention Center | News OK
Plans move ahead for convention center, hotel despite collapse in national market | News OK
OKC Council challenges mayor on plans to move electric substation for $30M | News OK
Bad Information on $30 Million Core to Shore Acquisition? | News OK
When History Doesn't Match Up with Politics? | News OK
Wambo, you amuse me. I hope you enjoyed reading these stories that were negative on MAPS 3 and appeared before and after the election. I can't answer for what happened with other reporters. When I was assigned to covering portions of MAPS 3, I covered all sides. And I think the streetcar advocates will tell you I've not done fluff coverage of their favorite MAPS 3 project. Yes, I'm the champion of truth and all, regardless of who it might upset.
N/M - stick with the topic, Wambo, or you're just trying to sidetrack the conversation and divert attention from the topic at hand.
Oh, by the way, I took a lot of heat from police command when I did this in-depth investigation on the behalf of the men and women in uniform out on the streets. Wambo, you don't know me at all....
[B]Police Cars Run Up Big Repair Bills
By Steve Lackmeyer
Sunday, August 18, 1996
Edition: CITY, Section: NEWS, Page 01
Copyright 1996, The Oklahoman
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After spending $93,587 to keep an old police car patrolling the streets, what's another $2,600 to replace its engine?
That seems to be the logic behind a stack of bills that has mounted over the last eight years to operate Oklahoma City police car No. 8813115 through its current 274,000-mile odometer reading.
The Oklahoman found that police car Thursday - parked in a local dealership's garage, where a mechanic was ready to install a new engine.
Another car, according to city maintenance records, racked up almost $96,000 in bills before it was retired five months ago with nearly 300,000 miles.
At least one-third of the remaining fleet of 602 cars are now beyond their economic or useful life; it's not unusual among these cars to see repair and operating costs topping $50,000 - and counting.
Capt. Ted Carlton, police spokesman, admits the aging fleet is a problem.
"They are not as safe as they should be," he said. "It's not cost-effective; but we do not have any money to replace these cars."
Eight out of 10 cities surveyed by the American Fleet Managers Association reported average mileage per police car as 69,000 miles or less.
The average mileage for Oklahoma City's police fleet is just under 100,000 miles. A computer analysis by The Oklahoman shows 303 police vehicles have logged more than 100,000 miles; 85 cars have more than 150,000 miles; and 12 cars have more than 200,000 miles. Hard Miles
Until he was contacted by a reporter, officer Mike Williams didn't know repair and fuel bills on his police cruiser topped $93,000. Despite the frequency of repairs - it has been in the shop nearly every two weeks for maintenance or repairs since 1992 - Williams, the cruiser's primary driver since early 1993, says the vehicle isn't the worst in the fleet.
"I drove it daily till the engine blew up in June," Williams said. "It ran pretty good, considering its age."
Williams said the car, which was originally purchased for $12,250, usually broke down as he cleared off of a call.
"If there's something wrong, then it was my responsibility to take it down (to the garage) and get it fixed," Williams said. "They've kept it up pretty well."
Williams said officers try to drive the vehicle at night because of a malfunctioning air conditioner - the garage has spent at least $2,424 to keep that part working. But he isn't too worried about the car's safety.
"It probably isn't as safe as a new car," Williams said. "Everybody would rather drive a new car - but that's not going to happen."
Williams' vehicle has been stranded at least 16 times since it went into service in July 1988. Two months after the car hit the streets, the vehicle's front end was smashed in a collision. Repairs cost $5,500.
Another $5,500 has been spent in the last three years on the transmission. In September 1993, mechanics rebuilt the transmission for about $1,300. Eight months later, that same transmission was replaced for a cost of $1,175.
The new transmission lasted another 14,000 miles, then city mechanics rebuilt it for about $1,600. The transmission was again replaced in February at a cost of $1,511.
Patrol cars are driven much harder than the average car. Some mechanical experts point out that a patrol car is often driven for two or three 10-hour shifts at a time. They stop and start a lot, which is hard on a battery and starter.
Patrol cars often idle for long periods while officers interview suspects or write reports, which adds time, but not mileage, to a car's life.
Officers are also required to drive down bad roads and in all kinds of weather, both of which can age a car faster. Hitting curbs on turns, slamming into ditches and potholes - that's all part of the job.
Yet Fraternal Order of Police President P.D. Taylor claimed that officers have a tough time getting timely repairs.
"It's not unusual to be down six weeks while we're waiting to get parts in," Taylor said. Rumors and Rumblings
Taylor said fixing old police cars is a way for the city to skim money off the 1989 penny sales tax, which is allotted specifically for police and fire use.
"The reason they like repairing these old vehicles is because they're charging the city three or four times what it costs them to do the repairs," Taylor said. "Why should one department in the city be making a big profit from another department in the city?
"It's always been my opinion that's misuse of this penny sales tax," Taylor said. "We end up paying for the entire maintenance department's budget over there."
Danny Terrell, director of the General Services Department, has heard the rumblings from some officers who claim the city garage's charges are excessive. He and Richard Stehr, fleet manager, say many people do not understand their department's charge-back or enterprise accounting system.
The General Services Department has no budget to perform repairs to the city's fleet. Instead, the department must charge to cover parts, labor and costs of running the garage, Terrell said.
Terrell and Stehr also say they have previously deducted costs from repair bills when the charges exceeded national industry standards.
The garage is not allowed to make a profit, and the idea that they are trying to skim money from the public safety sales tax is ridiculous, Terrell said.
"We are just charging what we need to charge to cover the costs of providing our services," Terrell said.
Police say they did save $458,000 when they stopped buying gas and oil from the garage and awarded a private contract to Total Petroleum last summer.
Police Chief Sam Gonzales, however, does not believe the garage has overcharged for its services.
"Sometimes it seems a little high to us," Gonzales said. "For the lay police officer, the charges seem to be higher than what we can get from private industry. But what they don't realize is they (the city garage) do not get any general fund help."
However, unlike a private business, the city garage does not have to pay taxes.
Gonzales insists the growth of the fleet during the past few years is the main cause of the city's rising costs.
"We actually used to get refunds before the fleet size grew," Gonzales said. "Excellent Shape"
The engine was replaced in officer Williams' cruiser even though it is among the top group of police cars recommended for replacement.
Gonzales said police fleet managers approved the decision to install the new engine.
"By a lot of standards, it may not be considered cost-effective," Gonzales said. "But the options are to take it out of service without being able to replace it, or spend $2,600 for a new engine and use it for another year."
Though ordered in June, the work on replacing the engine did not begin until after July 1 - the start of the police department's 1996-97 fiscal year.
City Fleet Manager Stehr explained how police vehicles are classified into three groups:
- Category A: About 77 percent, or 464, of Oklahoma City's police cruisers are within their economic and useful life. Stehr's garage started billing police 14 cents per mile for all normal repairs (excluding accidents and vehicle abuse) during the current fiscal year.
- Category B: Stehr estimates 107 vehicles, 18 percent of the fleet, are beyond their economic life. The cars can continue to operate with moderate repairs. Major repairs on these cars are not covered by the 14-cent-per-mile billing and must be ordered and paid for from the police budget.
- Category C: About 5 percent of the fleet is beyond its useful life. Repairs are needed to keep these vehicles roadworthy, and replacement is advised by the Equipment Services Division.
In February, Taylor complained to the state Occupational Safety and Health Administration about 22 old patrol cars from the Hefner Division that officers said were unsafe. An investigation was done, but not until the police department had ample warning of the upcoming inspection, Taylor said.
"The officers advised me that every one of these vehicles they were talking about were hustled off to the garage for repairs," said Taylor.
Gonzales said the fleet, despite its age, is safe and was deemed in "excellent shape" by the state inspectors.
Still, Gonzales believes the department needs an annual car replacement program and will meet with city leaders this week to discuss such a plan and its costs.
Gonzales said the city can't be asked to take on the burden of maintaining the police fleet at its current size.
"We're going to have to find a balance," Gonzales said.
Gonzales Wants To Reduce Fleet
By Steve Lackmeyer, Penny Owen
Staff Writers
Sunday, August 18, 1996
Edition: CITY, Section: NEWS, Page 17
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Reducing the number of Oklahoma City police vehicles and take-home cars is among the options facing city officials when they meet this week to confront an aging fleet.
Taxpayers pay $3 million for maintenance and between $600,000 and $1.3 million each year for replacement of police vehicles. And although the upkeep of the fleet ranks just below personnel costs for the force, police do not have any plan or budget to ensure regular replacement of vehicles.
Police Chief Sam Gonzales sees only one solution: cut the fleet to a number that would allow the city to afford a set replacement plan.
"We would like to see replacement every five years for marked cars and every seven years for unmarked cars - that is our goal," Gonzales said.
"But that would cost us $3.5 (million) to $4 million every year, and obviously the city doesn't have that kind of money," Gonzales said.
Gonzales believes the only way to implement his replacement plan is by cutting fleet cars added after voters approved a one-cent public safety sales tax. The tax revenue added hundreds of officers and cars to the force.
"We have an unusually large number of police vehicles," Gonzales said. "That makes it extremely difficult for us to replace them on a regular basis."
Of the fleet's 900 cars, 400 are assigned to the take-home program, which allows officers to drive their cruisers while off-duty. The program, which started in 1987, is popular with officers and neighborhood groups.
"We have a take-home program, but in the last five to 10 years, most police departments have gone through tax reductions that have not allowed them to do this due to costs," Gonzales said.
Gonzales thinks the city may have to cut its take-home program to maintain a safe fleet. Police will discuss possible cuts this week with Assistant City Manager Penny Barclay, Finance Director Glenn Deck and three representatives of the Fraternal Order of Police.
Gonzales believes the city will have to cut 180 cars, or 20 percent of the fleet. And that will require union approval.
"The problem the city has is, to my knowledge, they've never had a replacement program in place," said P.D. Taylor, president of the Oklahoma City Fraternal Order of Police.
"With the size of our department and the size of the budget and the number of vehicles we have, that's ludicrous not to have a replacement program in place," Taylor said.
Taylor agrees with Gonzales' goal: He also wants to negotiate a contractual plan to replace vehicles when they exceed a certain age and mileage.
"Our fleet is really getting almost as bad or as bad as it was prior to the 1989 sales tax passage," Taylor said.
Taylor opposes Gonzales' idea to cut the take-home car program, but said he'll try to keep an open mind.
"You lose the visibility," Taylor said. "Those vehicles are very well maintained by the officers. They take care of them better, they last longer. Another advantage of the take-home car program is the vehicles aren't being driven as much."
Replacing cars is not cheap. The price Oklahoma City pays for a new police cruiser has ballooned from $11,060 in 1985 to $21,453 last year.
The city council approved $1.3 million to replace 70 cars last year, and approximately $1.5 million will be spent during the fiscal year which started July 1.
"A lot depends on the financial situation of the city," Gonzales said. "But the city really hasn't determined yet how much they can afford to put into a replacement program."
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