Minutes 03/19/1996 - Laserfiche WebLink

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z 13 March 19, 1996 Commonwealth Attorney' s Office The Commonwealth Attorney and Police Department have established joint goals for addressing the issues of crime in the city through more timely arrests and convictions. To enhance this effort, two additional positions, an attorney and a support person, are recommended in this budget. Fire An essential factor in fighting fires and providing emergency assistance is proper equipment. The average age of fire apparatus is currently 14.3 years, with four of the thirteen pieces exceeding 20 years of age. This aging equipment is more costly to maintain and less reliable. The Fire Department performed a comprehensive review of their existing needs and developed a strategy for providing replacement of five pieces (a combination of engines and ladder trucks) of fire apparatus through a lease purchase arrangement. This long-range approach to equipment replacement will provide significant benefits such as: reduced cost of maintaining equipment, improved reliability, the addition of a reserve ladder to the fleet, · no additional apparatus purchases until 2001. and In the year 2001, t~e average age of fire apparatus will be 9.7 years, a reduction of 4.6 years based upon thirteen pieces of equipment. The benefits of the lease purchase is the ability to acquire s. once, while spreading th. interest cost incurred o~ the lower maintenance co~ compares the current age the equipment in 2001. ~veral new pieces of equipment at cost over several years. The the purchase will be mitigated by t on the vehicles. The chart below of equipment to the expected age of rage Age of Fire Apparatus Current (1996) 2001 without purchases 2001 with proposed purchases EFFICIENT AND EFFECTIVE LOCAL GOVERNMENT Every citizen wants to receive quality services at the lowest possible cost. To that end, the department heads met in early November 1995 to outline the means for achieving this goal. "Where should our focus be as we continue to aggressively move toward a high performing organization?" and "What are the tools necessary to meet our objectives?" were the questions posed to the city's management team. A consensus was reached on the tools that would make the difference: investment in our employees and strategic use of technology. Investment in Employees A well-trained~ motivated work force is essential for providing the capacity to maintain and enhance city services. An investment in our employees is necessary to yield an increase in capacity.