Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Toledo consolidating garages to save money

This press release was sent via email:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, May 12, 2009

City of Toledo Garage Consolidation Will Save Taxpayers Half-A-Million Dollars

Today Mayor Finkbeiner announced that effective June 5, The City of Toledo Division of Facility and Fleet will consolidate its three Fleet Operations service garages - a move which will annually save Toledo taxpayers approximately $500,000.

Spielbush Garage (1915 Spielbush) will be closed, remaining open only for gas dispensing. All service will be moved to Imlay Garage (3917 Imlay St.), where all Police and Fire safety equipment will be serviced and maintained.

This restructuring will drastically reduce overtime - and save an estimated $500,000 -- by implementing three working shifts, which will give the City of Toledo 24/7 service without emergency overtime costs.

Mayor Finkbeiner released the following statement: "These economically challenging times force us to find new, innovative ways to provide service to our citizen, while reducing costs. This consolidation of our service garages will practically eliminate emergency overtime in Fleet Operations, while improving service to our citizens."

I'm glad they're doing this - I just wonder what took them so long.

And if they're doing this now, it's painfully evident that months ago when they said they'd done everything they could to cut costs, they weren't being exactly truthful.

On the plus side, these savings have not previously been identified in any press release as costs to be eliminated, so this change should directly impact the deficit.

5 comments:

navyvet said...

Too little...too late..

More "new" ideas to follow?

Count on it....

Like magic, the closer we get to the cliff, ideas and warnings will be forthcoming.....

Timothy W Higgins said...

Maggie,

Kudos to the Mayor for finally coming up with something that is an actual cost savings. It's surprise arrival however begs the question of what other ideas are out there that the city is uable or unwilling to look at in its quest to reduce the budget.

Hooda Thunkit (Dave Zawodny) said...

Maggie,

Great story..., if it hadn't already been in the works for over 2 years...

More smoke and mirrors from the 22nd floor, where everything old is new again, when the need to show some fiscal responsibility makes "breaking" old news as new can be had...

(It also justifies the improvements at the Imlay St. location at a time when such expenditures should be delayed.

Besides somebody needs both the City and County space on Spielbusch for another project...

navyvet said...

This nooz may be shocking...but I don't trust Car-Tea....my bad?

Fire calls....charge for services...projected income to the city? $500,00.00

Consolidate garages? Now??? Projected income/savings to the city?
$500,000.00

Nice try....show me the money and details of the estimates....IN DETAL YO.........

To me....he is a worm...he is incapable of telling the truth.

What is next?

No one can trust him.....

Citizen at Large said...

As the former Commissioner of Facility & Fleet Operations, we saved near $4,000,000 over the last four years, not to mention the projected $600,000 per year from consolidating the garages and adding the three shifts. This is only several ideas to save taxpayer money. I have not been asked for additional ideas for savings. Maybe someone should call me.

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