02-13-2012 Council Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING Monday, February 13, 2012 7:00 o'clock p.m. • (13. AUTHORIZATION TO PURCHASE 2012 SQUAD CARS, Continued) cars have a significant amount of idling time due to the amount of equipment that is in them and the temperature that needs to be maintained. Due to that, the actual driven miles can be skewed. Farniok noted the Dodge Chargers do not have idle meters installed in them. Franchot commented that information is very helpful and noted the idle time would not change based on the models. Farniok stated the squad cars also go through tires on a much faster basis than your average car since they have to make 180 degree turns to chase after speeding vehicles. Rahn asked if the Police Department does the oil velocity checks periodically. Farniok indicated they change the oil approximately once a month or every 3,000 miles. The issue with increasing the oil changes to 4,000 to 5,000 miles is that if they can identify a problem during the oil change, it will save money in the long run. The Tahoe and the new Charger use synthetic oil, which is changed every 5,000 miles. Rahn stated he is aware that some of the other local cities have a mandatory 100,000 mile replacement policy, and that he is attempting to understand how other cities can go 100,000 miles with their police squads and Orono only gets 75,000 miles. • Farniok noted Wayzata has a three -year replacement policy regardless of the miles. Medina and West Hennepin's replacement policy is based on the mileage. Farniok indicates it also depends on the type of miles that are on the vehicle. Orono has had Crown Victorias with 80,000 to 100,000 miles on them that have had problems. Farniok pointed out the existing squad cars will not be replaced until the new vehicles arrive, which will be another six months or so. In order to get better pricing, the police cars need to be ordered at the beginning or end of the year. Rahn asked if it is closer to a three year cycle that the police cars are replaced. Farnoik stated it is approximately three years at the present time and that they are attempting to push it out to three and a half. There are two officers assigned per squad car so the vehicles are being used approximately 16 hours a day. Farniok indicated they are also attempting to span the miles out evenly among all the vehicles. The investigator cars are replaced every 6 years. Farniok stated once the cars reach 75,000 to 80,000 miles, since the vehicles have been driven to the extremes, the maneuverability decreases. Rahn asked if the police department is reimbursed for the special events. Farniok indicated they are reimbursed on some of the special events but the majority of them are community events. • Rahn stated he does not want the public to get the impression that the City has a couple of extra cars just to accommodate the special events. Page 18 of 22