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Tampa hires consultants to evaluate cost of fleet

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By CHRISTIAN M. WADE cwade@tampatrib.com

The Tampa Tribune

Published: June 10, 2009

TAMPA - On any given day, legions of city-owned cars, trucks and SUVs haul away garbage, fix potholes, put out fires and patrol neighborhoods.

But the cost of maintaining Tampa's 3,000-strong fleet is weighing heavily on the city's finances as officials grapple with a projected $52 million deficit in next year's budget.

So city officials have hired a consulting firm, Mercury Associates, to determine if the fleet should be reorganized or downsized to save some money.

Tampa's fleet, including police and fire vehicles, is valued at more than $124 million, not including millions of dollars spent on fuel and routine maintenance every year.

The study is part of Mayor Pam Iorio's Efficiency and Effectiveness Task Force, which during the past year has been exploring ways to streamline city government.
Public Works director Irvin Lee said the city conducts annual audits of its entire fleet, but this is the first time officials have hired a consultant to take stock of the vehicle usage.

"With the fiscal constraints we are under, we need to have the right sized fleet," he said.

Lee said the study, which costs about $100,000, will be completed in a few weeks.

Reporter Christian M. Wade can be reached at (813) 259-7679

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