Council Committee Wants Fewer City Vehicles

City council's public works committee says they have waited long enough for city officials to develop a fuel efficiency plan.

Tuesday, they passed a resolution directing the mayor's office to design a proposal that would cut the city's vehicle fleet by ten percent.

Andrew Blascovich with the mayor's office says the city has about 670 vehicles, meaning a reduction of about 67.

Council members say they have been told in the past that the city's vehicle fleet could be cut by ten percent without disrupting service.

They say for years they have asked for a plan, and with the current economy, it's time to take some action.

Councilman Mike Cranford says, "if the resolution prompts them along a little bit, then that's fine. The fact of the matter is this is not rocket science, it is something we need to do and something we need to do in a timely fashion, not let it languish."

Council member Tom Ellington sponsored the resolution.

It gives city officials 90 days to bring a proposal back to council.

He says the savings could amount to hundreds of thousands of dollars for the city in maintenance and fuel costs.