The Jefferson City Council on Monday approved a new vehicle fleet management contract and a land swap agreement, among other items.
A fleet agreement with Enterprise Fleet Management will replace 34 existing administrative and inspection vehicles in the Public Works, Planning and Protective Services, and Fire departments.
Public Works Department Director Matt Morasch said the vehicles will be purchased at a reduced rate and cycled through each year to keep the fleet up to date. Enterprise would also provide vehicle maintenance.
In the first year, when all of the currently owned vehicles are sold, the city will have an estimated net savings of about $54,000, Morasch said.
In subsequent years, the program would cost the city about $32,000 a year. That cost does not include anticipated savings from maintenance costs.
Morasch said the fleet was purchased mainly around 2005, and maintenance has become harder as the vehicles get older.
"This is a way for us to update our fleet and keep them in good condition," he said.
Morasch said the current vehicles would likely be sold and the new vehicles received next spring.
Fire Department, school district exchange land
The council also approved a resolution to authorize the Jefferson City Fire Department to enter into a land swap agreement with the Jefferson City School District.
The city will receive a property located near Mission Drive, next to St. Mary's Hospital on Missouri 179, from the school district.
In return, the school district will receive property located at the intersection of West Edgewood Drive and Fairgrounds Road.
The Fire Department plans to use the property near Mission Drive in the future to construct a new fire station.
City Attorney Ryan Moehlman said the school district is interested in using the new land to create a secondary entrance to the Lawson Elementary School property on Fairgrounds Road.
The transaction is an even property-for-property swap and does not include any other payments.
Airport runway light replacement
The council also approved a construction contract for $118,281 with Reinhold Electric Inc. for replacement of the runway lights at Jefferson City Memorial Airport.
The runway lighting was damaged during flooding in spring 2019.
In approving the contract, the council also accepted a $202,931 grant from the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission, which will cover the project in full - $118,281 for construction and $84,650 for project design and inspection services.
Municipal election scheduled
In other business, the council established the April 2021 municipal election and candidate filing dates.
The municipal election will take place April 6, 2021. The candidate filing period begins at 8 a.m. Tuesday and ends Jan. 19.
The seats of five council members, a municipal judge and the city prosecutor will be on the ballot.