When Puyallup city staff were preparing the 2008 budget, they expected a price hike at the gas pump. In preparation, the city increased its budgeted gas needs by 64 percent.
It’s not just about making sure the money is there to pay the bills, but also about developing strategies to make travel as efficient and cost effective as possible, said City Manager Gary McLean.
“Puyallup has not experienced the budget impact that other jurisdictions have,” he said.
And it all comes down to planning and promoting better use of the city’s 215 vehicles.
Puyallup purchases its fuel in bulk through the state of Washington at a discounted cost and the city maintains its own gas pump for city vehicle use.
When a city vehicle goes to fill up at the city fueling station, mileage, when it was last filled and how much it is filled is carefully recorded. Using that data, keeping vehicles well maintained, monitoring use and knowing what options are out there gives the city a leg up on minimizing fuel consumption.
The city already has several hybrid vehicles in its fleet, McLean said, and when vehicles are ready to be replaced, fuel efficiency is considered. Plus the police department has two electric cars it uses for none patrol functions like city events, said Lorri Ericson, department spokesperson.
“That’s when we get a chance to look at the most fuel efficient vehicle for the type of vehicle we need,” McLean said.
Whether it’s a hybrid for a building inspector or a dump truck for the public works department, fuel efficiency is a contributing factor in what the city will buy.
In the case of fire trucks, police patrol cars and other essential vehicles, the money has to be spent to fill up the tanks.
“We need the police department doing its job,” McLean said.
To be able to respond quickly and effectively to emergencies many police and fire department vehicles need to be equipped to do certain things and reach certain speeds quickly and that can come at the cost of fuel efficiency, Ericson said.
“They have to be able to go at a high rate of speed,” she said.
But getting car manufacturers looking into building vehicles that can both perform the job required of a police patrol car, for example, and be fuel efficient is something cities are encouraging state and federal agencies to get going.
McLean attended a conference a few months ago and personally talked to a state representative about this very issue.
When a city vehicle is ready to be replaced, the city looks at a list of vehicles compiled by the state that helps in getting a better price for the vehicle and matching job use with it.
“They’ve done a pretty good job with that,” McLean said of getting fuel efficient vehicles on the list.
Getting longevity and minimizing fuel use in city vehicles is really a testament to how much work the fleet maintenance group puts into maintaining the vehicles, he said.
“They do a fantastic job at keeping city vehicles in tip top condition,” McLean said.
Keeping the vehicles well maintained adds to their fuel economy, he said.
It may start as pennies and dimes in savings, but it adds up to dollars.
“It might not sound like much but it all adds up,” McLean said.
When the new city hall opens, there will be even more opportunity for fuel savings because many departments that are spread through the city can just walk to the department rather than driving across town.
“That will cut down on travel,” McLean said. “They won’t need to drive to meet with one another.”
And city employees are already encouraged to ride together as much as possible when using city vehicles.
Beyond city vehicles savings, the city is also working on implementing ways to encourage employees to drive less on their own accord.
Ride share programs and car pooling are a common theme.
The new city hall has a shower so employees willing to ride their bike to work have facilities to freshen up.
“It’s a mind set.” McLean said about minimizing energy use.
And it’s an example the city hopes to set, he added.
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