Meredith reduces number of town-owned vehicles that can be taken home by 3, in an effort to reduce fuel costs

What are Moultonboro Selectmen doing to reduce fuel consumption?

Note from the MCA: We applaud this effort and the expenditure cap put forward by the Meredith Selectmen. By themselves, they are small steps, but combined with many other small steps considerable savings can be obtained. Meredith and many other towns are being proactive and taking steps in response to a serious problem. Moultonboro seems to be in denial as no actionable plan has yet been put forward by the selectmen. What are they waiting for?

MCA 

July 29th, 2008

BY MICHAEL KITCH

THE LACONIA DAILY SUN

MEREDITH — In an effort to reduce fuel consumption by the town fl eet the Board of Selectmen have trimmed the number of municipal vehicles that personnel drive from home to work and back from seven to four. However, Town Manager Carol Granfi eld said yesterday that “while we intend to track the affect on the cost of fuel, we do not project to realize substantial savings from the change.” The decision followed a discussion of ways to pare fuel costs at a selectmens’ workshop earlier this month. Selectmen Colette Worsman, who raised the issue when the 2008 budget was prepared last year, pointed out that taxpayers bore the cost of the maintenance and depreciation of municipal vehicles and should be spared unnecessary fuel costs. The police chief and his lieutenant and the fire chief will continue to drive municipal vehicles between work and home while a fourth vehicle assigned to the Department of Public Works will be used by the director or his assistant, whoever is on duty. All four are considered emergency vehicles, fitted with communications gear and carrying other equipment required to enable officials to respond to an incident. Two other vehicles assigned to the Department of Public Works and a third driven by the Code Enforcement Officer will no longer be driven to and from work. Brenda Vittner, director of administrative services, said that the use of municipal vehicles for commuting to and from work is governed by regulations of the Internal Revenue Service. Other than qualified emergency vehicles, municipal vehicles are treated as a taxable benefi t with a value of $3 per day or $21 per week to the driver. Likewise, municipal employees using their personal vehicles for approved town business are reimbursed at the prevailing rate of 58.5 cents a mile set by the IRS. Both Peter Brothers, who chairs the board, and Bob Flanders questioned whether the savings would outweigh the costs incurred by employees driving to collect a vehicle in order to respond to an emergency. In particular, he suggested that during the winter the Department of Public Works should have a vehicle equipped with a plow and carrying sand ready to be deployed whenever and wherever it was needed.

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