2003 AGN JUN 03 I08 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Item #8 CITY OF COLTON AGENDA REPORT FOR COUNCIL MEETING OF JUNE 3, 2003 TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council FROM: Tom Hendrix, Fire Chief SUBJECT: Renewal of Vehicle Maintenance Contract with San Bernardino County Fire Department DATE: May 15, 2003 BACKGROUND: Historically, the Fire Department had been responsible for the maintenance of all fire vehicles operated by the Department. Preventative maintenance and repairs were performed by firefighters in the fire department shop until 1978, when a full time mechanic was hired. In 1998, a fire department study of vehicle maintenance concluded that operating a one-person shop was ineffective and costly. Subsequently, the City Council approved a one-year contract with San Bernardino County Fire Department on June 15, 1999, and a two-year contract was approved by the City Council on June 6, 2000. The last contract expired on July 31, 2002. DISCUSSION/ANALYSIS: Fire Department vehicles have been maintained at the County Fire Department shop for the last four and one half years. County Fire personnel have extensive training and are State -certified fire mechanics. All repairs, with the exception of transmission rebuilds and major paint and bodywork, are performed in house. They operate several service trucks that perform routine maintenance and minor repairs at our fire stations. Emergency and after hours repairs are handled 24/7 by on-call personnel. On several occasions, the County's service trucks have been able to complete repairs on site that previously would have required the added expense of towing to a repair facility. They have also performed repairs while fire apparatus were actually on fire incidents, allowing them to continue fire -fighting operations. This service not only saves money but also allows the unit to be placed back in service more rapidly. The quality of services provided by the County shop has been consistently excellent and repairs are performed in a timely manner. The contract proposed for renewal has a three-year term and will expire on June 30, 2006. It is generally identical to the previous contract, with the following exceptions found in sections 3.3.1 through 3.3.3 of the contract: Hourly rates increase from $55 per hour to $60 per hour for the first 750 hours and $65 for time in excess of 750 hours. An automatic annual increase in the retainer and hourly rate equal to the change in the Consumers Price Index for the Los Angeles/San Bernardino area for the previous year, ending June 301". The increase in hourly rate is a reflection of increased costs at the County shop due to Salary and Benefit agreements with the County employees.