• READ DETAILS OF THE ‘SMART CITY’ PLAN

During Monday night’s city council voting session, the city’s Public Works Committee reviewed information on the purchase of four new pieces of equipment for the Department of Public Works vehicle and equipment fleet. The equipment would include two new loaders for the DPW, along with two new backhoes. The equipment would replace older equipment already in the city fleet that officials say is beginning to show its age.

DPW Director Jeff Lehman and Mayor Sam Teresi say that by purchasing the new equipment, the city will save money on the maintenance costs it would have to pay for the older vehicles, as well as reduce the amount of downtime workers would have as they wait for repairs and maintenance to occur.

The net cost of the four pieces of equipment after trade-in would be an estimated $460,000 and the city would borrow the money, most likely early next year. That means any new debt from the borrowing would likely come online by the end of 2020.

City councilman Andrew Liuzzo – who voted against borrowing money for the Smart City Capital Investment Plan in September – expressed some concern with the proposed purchase, saying it may not be necessary to replace one of the city’s current loaders because it is only four years old. But Lehman pointed out that city’s recently completed comprehensive vehicle maintenance plan by Mercury Associates calls for a regular rotation of new vehicles so less attention is needed for maintenance and that includes equipment that is five years old.

The council will vote on the borrowing during its regular voting session on Oct. 28.

On Monday night the Jamestown City Council unanimously approved a resolution allowing the mayor to accept the final report on Fleet Management Practices, prepared by Mercury Associates.

• READ THE FINAL MERCURY REPORT

The firm was hired in 2016 to assist city officials with managing its vehicle and equipment fleet. The cost of the report was $58,000 – with money coming from funds given to the city by the State Financial Restructuring Board for Local Governments in an effort to help the city identify efficiencies to help reduce local costs.

The study provides a blueprint for a new fleet structure that would not only help to manage vehicles, but also eliminate underused/duplicate vehicles. It also calls for sharing more non-specialized vehicles and equipment, implementing a new vehicle and equipment turnover program, and increase leverage with original equipment manufacturers for after-sales service and support.

Jamestown Mayor Sam Teresi

Mayor Sam Teresi said there is little to no cost to pursue some of the initiatives in the plan, but a significant amount of funding would be needed to replace old vehicles, as well as prepare city facilities to house any newer vehicles that may come online in the coming years.

“To really get into the meat and potatoes of what is in that Mercury plan — that really can save significant dollars for the rate payer customers of the BPU and the taxpayer customers of the city council and me as mayor – it will require some serious investment of capitol to buy new equipment, to buy new maintenance operation equipment, to make renovations to building to make them large enough and tall enough to take new equipment in, and ultimately to secure that energy-efficient, productive equipment that can really help us lower costs,” Teresi said.

The mayor has said the funding to cover the related costs associated with vehicles and equipment could come from the proposed Capital Infrastructure and Equipment Replacement Program announced in November. Money for the fund would come from what the mayor calls a “paper sale” involving the city selling its $16 million Wastewater Treatment Plant, located in the town of Poland, to the Jamestown Local Development Corporation (JLDC). The JLDC would use bonding as a way to pay for the sale with BPU rate payers – both in and outside of the city – helping to pay off the debt for those bonds over a period of time.

The plan is not without controversy, as the Chautauqua County Chamber of Commerce / Manufacturers Association of the Southern Tier, along with others, have come against the proposal.

Among the items to be acted on, the council will vote on a $555,000 contract with the New York State Department of State, Division of Local Government Services, to help convert 900 existing street and security lights to more energy efficient LED fixtures. The funding would also cover the conversion of lights in the Main Street and Cherry Street Ramps to LED fixtures.

A second resolution also involves a $58,000 contract with the New York State Department of State, Division of Local Government Services to help pay for a city fleet management services consolidation analysis and implementation plan, to be conducted Mercury Associates.

Both contracts would be funded with state money that’s been allocated for Jamestown in order to help identify cost reductions in the annual budget.

Other resolutions to be considered during tonight’s meeting is $40,000 grant agreement with the Chautauqua County Water Quality Task Force to aid in the continued improvements to the Riverwalk steam bank stabilization.  Funding comes from the county’s 2016 Occupancy/Bed Tax Grant program for Lakes and Waterways. Lawmakers will also act on a grant agreement with the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services Legislative Grant Program in the amount of $25,000.00.

Monday’s voting session begins at 7:30 p.m. on the second floor of city hall and is open to the public.

Prior to tonight’s voting session, the city’s finance committee will meet at 6:30 p.m. to continue reviewing the 2017 budget with city department heads. City council members will review budgets for the Clerk, Treasurer, Assessor, Comptroller office, as well as for Information Services and Corporation Counsel.

The meeting will be in the mayor’s conference room on the 4^th floor of city hall and is open to the public.