A Councillor with common sense is a work in progress in skills development. Perhaps I should say, feelers. They wave about . gathering morsels of info wherever it is to be found.
We don't have a Council meeting again until mid-January. I have time to elaborate.
A late comment came last week about green trucks for parks. I have to guess where it came from but I won't waste time on that.
The claim was repeated that light-coloured vehicles produce less pollution in hot weather. To which I respond;
How would you go about proving that?
After three separate staff reports with different rationales each time, Council's authority prevailed and green trucks were chosen.
In the 2013 capital budget, four light trucks were recommended to replace personal vehicles for public works inspectors.
Council authority prevailed again.Some arguments didn't even need to be used.
I want to use them to show how a sensible person can make a deduction with just a few details.
The average allowance for use of a personal vehicle is touted at $50.thousand dollars a year.
It's not a full year. More like half. Construction season lasts from May to November. Inspections with personal vehicles used are the period for which expenses are incurred.
The work week is five days.. Seven hours is the average day. Statutory holidays and vacations reduce the number of days,.
$50 thousand divided by six ( months ), divided by four (weeks) , divided by five (days) divided by seven (hours) identifies a substantial amount of change for gas charged. Besides the car allowance for other expenses.
Inspections of new infrastructure are not carried out on wheels. Hard hats and construction boots are provided for work done on the hoof. The town is not large.
The municipality is therefore paying handsomely for gas.
Councillor Pirrie was righteously indignant that Council would compel an employee to use his own vehicle.
He had to be informed there was no compulsion about it.
The Mayor brought out, use of a vehicle is a condition of employment for the inspectors.
Be that notwithstanding, recommending replacement of personal vehicles with town- owned trucks was a solution worse than the problem. It was not presented as a solution for a problem.
Capital costs are incurred. Development charge levies were to be used. .
More space for storage of vehicles is required ..
Licenses
Insurance coverage.
fuel to run the vehicles.
Mechanical service.
Tools and space for mechanics.
Extra service bays ..
Extra management of extra mechanics.
Extra supervision of management.
Oh Yes,,,and extra space in the $598,000 software program
Allowance for a degree of laxity in management
The list goes on
...and on
...and on.
Comparatively speaking., four new trucks is not a huge ticket item. But it is substantial. Other new vehicles are recommended.
Council exercised judgement and deleted these trucks from the capital budget.
It was a satisfying moment.
Councillor Humfryes didn't have a lot to say. But when it comes to trucks it's always worth hearing..
Sandra's other half is a truck aficionado; literally, a walking encyclopedia.
Also a firefighter in the fire department, he understands budgets. requirements. problems .solutions. and non-solutions.
I expect Sandra to be well-briefed in the matter of trucks.
I listen for affirmation of my own gut instinct.
I am never disappointed.
Wednesday 26 December 2012
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8 comments:
Well, you did actually take a break. Well done. Now try for 2-3 days next week & I shall quit nagging.
I did not vote for that side of Councillor Humfryes' personality. In fact, I did not even know it was there at the time. It is quite unnerving when she reverts to her hand-gesturing bewildered mode. I have heard her speak quite well on occasion. Just not often enough or when I would like to see her adult persona. Council needs grown-ups.
"...& I shall quit nagging."
That would be nice. The woman is in her eighties - she doesn't need a mother.
Why don't they sell that useless stupid-Smart Car? At least that would be a bit of in-coming revenue for a change.
They just don't get it. " It's the Economy, Stupid." As James Carville said. Aurora is simple not paved in gold. But Staff and certain Councillors do not feel our need to tighten fiscal spending. We do not get a chance to vote on staff although most of us are aware how how long the majority of the "Team "have been in place and who hired them.
This is weird stuff. We all get to work. But who gets to ding the boss for travel except for Lawyers and our town staff? Not Me.
5:01 PM
What? Friends can't nag? You're just jealous!
"The claim was repeated that light-coloured vehicles produce less pollution in hot weather. To which I respond;
How would you go about proving that?"
That was not the claim that I read. I think it said that dark green vehicles will require more A/C because they will be hotter in the summer. That means that more fuel will be required - not pollution.
I think it is a common fact that darker colours retain heat (instead of reflecting it). Not much to prove if you ask me.
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