3/4/2009 1:48:00 PM Monona council approves new police car
Adam Mella Managing Editor
Police Chief Walter Ostrenga proposed the purchase of two new police vehicles that were included 2009 Capital budget, March 2, and the city council approved funding for a 2009 Ford Crown Victoria at a cost of $21,321. The car will replace a 2006 Crown Victoria with 74,000 miles. Ostrenga said the Crown Victoria is the "workhorse' of the department fleet. The old vehicle will be assigned to the Public Works Department.
The purchase of a second vehicle set to replace a 2000 Dodge Intrepid with 46,000 miles that was used as a detective vehicle was put on hold until Chief Ostrenga could provide the council with detailed fuel efficiency and maintenance cost analysis over the expected life of that vehicle. Ostrenga had proposed the purchase of a 2009 Ford Taurus at a cost of just over $18,000, but said he had looked into hybrid vehicles and conventional Honda Accord as well, that was a bit more expensive than the Taurus.
Alderman Chad Speight suggested the Accord might be a better deal based on the greater fuel efficiency calculated over time, while Alder Kathy Thomas noted that Hondas have a reputation for greater reliability, and asked to hear what a mechanic had to say about that claim.
The Dodge will remain in the police fleet to replace a 2003 Crown Victoria with mechanical troubles that has already been turned over to the Department of Public Works for reassignment or auction.
The council will likely make a decision on the second vehicle at their next meeting.
There is $57,000 in the 2009 budget for new police vehicles, and the remaining funds would be used for equipping the vehicles for police service as needed.
In other news, the council:
• Established a no parking zone at the 6300-64000 block of Bridge Road adjacent to the Yahara River crossing, at the request of the police department, and Public Works and Public Safety committees. Citizens and businesses in the area were contacted about the possible change and none notified the city of their opposition to the plan. Chief Walter Ostrenga said the change was necessary to allow traffic turning onto Bridge to see around the curve to the east of the bridge. One injury accident was recently recorded due to restricted sight lines from Winnequah Road;
• Discussed the city's terrace restoration policy. The city currently replaces damaged grass on street terraces with sod following construction projects (aside from Winnequah Rd. in 2006), but sod costs double conventional seed and fertilizer sowing. Citizens would still have the option to select sod on their properties, but they would be responsible for the extra costs. Alders wanted to ensure that any fill used would not be filled with weeds as has happened in the past, and as they did not know the correct construction-industry term to insert into the policy language, the resolution was tabled until the next meeting.
• Considered replacing a plow truck with funds set aside for a new cold storage building for the public works department. Funds budgeted for that project were not ample to complete the construction, so city staff recommended moving forward with the plow truck replacement scheduled for next year. The oldest plow of the city's six trucks has been having numerous breakdowns and has not been available for several storms. Funding for the truck would then be put towards the new building in 2010. The council will likely act on this measure at their next meeting.
• Held a brief discussion regarding the upcoming election. Alderman Bob Miller will be on the ballot but has repeatedly asked citizens to not vote for him as personal obligations will not allow him to fully dedicate himself to the council. Miller stepped down from his job soon after the filing deadline and could not have his name removed from the ballot. He said he enjoyed his work on the council and that because attendance is so important to the job, he would not be able to make such a commitment at this time as he seeks employment. He asked citizens to vote for one of the other four candidates to avoid confusion. The council could not discuss the matter much further as to what would happen if Miller was elected despite his request. Three of the members are up for election or will not be serving another term, and the remaining members could not legally or morally bind a future council's actions by voting on a plan of action for filling that possible void. All members agreed that the citizens should respect Alderman Miller's request to avoid a messy situation.
