Resource Center

This site includes questions and answers about Oregon's land use program, and information on the Land Use, Transportation, and Air Quality (LUTRAQ) project.

The Center for Livable Communities helps local governments and community leaders be proactive in their land use and transportation planning, and adopt programs and policies that lead to more livable and resource-efficient land use patterns. The site includes information about their publications and conferences.

This agreement is provided as a sample, compliments of Bruce Slagoski.

Vehicle Replacement Guidelines

Venu Gupta, Superintendent of Buildings & Fleet for the City of Milwaukee presented “Sustainability & Green Purchasing Practices” at the Climate Change Summit in December 2008. His presentation highlighted the City’s practices to conserve energy in their public buildings and to conserve fuel using management practices and alternative fuels.

This site provides "Resources for Crisis/Emergency Management and Business Continuity" and is supported by the Emergency Lifeline Corporation (ELC). Emergency Lifeline was founded in 1985 with the purpose of helping businesses, schools, families and individuals prepare for 72-hour self-sufficiency. Since that time, the company has expanded the product line to include preparedness supplies for any type of disaster, including natural and man-made. Emergency Lifeline now works with organizations throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico and overseas. In addition to their products and services link, the site provides links to articles, organizations, and resources.

Document used to transfer or dispose of any fixed assets including vehicles and equipment for the City of Edgewater, Florida.

An Environmental Management System (EMS) is a set of management processes and procedures that allow an organization to analyze, control, and reduce the environmental impact of its activities, products and services and allow the organization to operate with greater efficiency and control. Environmental Management Systems provide local communities, governments, and public facilities with a structured approach for managing environment and regulatory responsibilities. These systems can serve as a powerful tool that can help manage operations more efficiently, improve a community's or facility's compliance, and address environmental risk both inside and outside the scope of EPA's regulatory programs.

OSEC's mission is to foster the implementation of integrated, geographic approaches to environmental protection with an emphasis on ecological integrity, economic sustainability and quality of life, an approach called Community Based Environmental Protection (CBEP). The site includes case studies, suggestions on how to develop a community economic profile, and references to additional resources.

Rick Everett, Fleet Manager, City of Edmond, Oklahoma, shares their replacement spread sheet. It features a good deal of detail that might be beneficial to other managers, such as lifecycle, acquisition costs, years for replacement, etc.

Paul E. Hinderaker, Fleet Services Director, City of Ames, Iowa, has edited their spreadsheet for Fleet Replacement Cycles. In addition to editing the spreadsheet and adding instructions, he also added a list of most of their "Replacement Targets" by miles, hours, or age for most of the fleet classes they manage. These work for them in their region and use, however, as he noted, you can insert yours into the spreadsheet. Ames's maintenance records provide the best information on this to determine when uncontrolled maintenance costs begin to occur and help "target" replacement timing. Ames has a population of 50,000 and is a university community with over half the population being college students. There is some light industry and a large governmental employment base for comparison purposes to your community. They handle about 32" of snow per year and spread ice control salts and liquids that accelerate the deterioration of fleet; that is where age is a factor.

The City of Ames, Iowa, has developed a fleet maintenance survey with 126 contact points covering in-house scheduling, PM's, maintenance, acquisitions, staff performance & attitudes, parts, fuel, management, records and reporting, outsourcing, vendors, etc. In the two years of use Ames has received a pretty good response, and have made several service adjustments in areas rated low or based on other comments. Departmental meetings are held to discuss the survey responses so that changes discussed and recommended are approved by entire staff and the City Manager's office. Responses have also been used as a motivational tool to inform staff and our vendors of who those providing highly acceptable services (referred to as Delighted Customers). The main complaint received pertains to the length of the survey. It is sent annually to City Managers, Dept Heads, Division Heads, and Supervisors; plus 1/3 of the remaining work force each year, and rotate that group, so that every 3 years everybody has had an opportunity to respond at least one time. After reviewing, please share comments or suggestions with Paul E. Hinderaker, Director, Fleet Services Department, City of Ames, Iowa, 515-239-5521, phinderaker@city.ames.ia.us.

This was a much sought-after 2001 Congress presentation wherein the author, Gordon Siebert, describes a conceptual model for analyzing public works and engineering staffing needs that relates resources to demand variables such as permit fees and dollar values of capital projects. The model was successfully employed in a number of jurisdictions in California.

Green building practices offer an opportunity to create environmentally-sound and resource-efficient buildings by using an integrated approach to design. Green buildings promote resource conservation, including energy efficiency, renewable energy, and water conservation features; consider environmental impacts and waste minimization; create a healthy and comfortable environment; reduce operation and maintenance costs; and address issues such as historical preservation, access to public transportation and other community infrastructure systems. The entire life-cycle of the building and its components is considered, as well as the economic and environmental impact and performance.

The Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB) has adopted new requirements for annual financial statements prepared by state and local government. GASB Statement Number 34 contains significant changes in the information and format for financial statements, including requiring infrastructure assets to be included on the annual statement. The requirements include reporting of historical cost and an annual depreciation amount for infrastructure. GASB 34 also includes a “modified approach” that involves establishing a condition rating system and setting minimum condition levels for infrastructure maintenance. APWA has been very active in providing information and advise to GASB in the development of the new standard, especially about how public works and infrastructure management agencies manage their assets and what types of systems can be used to establish and track condition ratings. GASB Statement Number 34: What Your Agency Needs To Do (a two hour audio conference tape) Buy Online!

Includes information about implementation of the “Agenda 21” local environmental planning initiative and the international Cities for Climate Change program.

The IDA is helping communities revitalize their downtown areas as they face transportation, suburbanization and technology challenges. The site includes lists of members, products and services.

Includes information about products, after sales support, dealer network, pre-owned sweepers and news releases.

West Virginia University web site with links to the National Environmental Training Center for Small Communities, National Small Flows Clearinghouse, National Drinking Water Clearinghouse, and National Onsite (wastewater treatment) Demonstration Project. All of these web sites offer training and information for small and rural communities.

This free Fact Pack can help evaluate the market opportunities and challenges for natural gas.

Savings By Design is a program for building owners and design teams that encourages high-performance non-residential building design and construction. It is sponsored by Pacific Gas and Electric Company, Southern California Edison and San Diego Gas & Electric, under the auspices of the California Public Utilities Commission.

Vehicle Replacement Policy

PPS is a nonprofit planning and design organization dedicated to preserving public spaces as the center of community life. The site includes information on their programs and a list of available publications and other products.

City of Winston-Salem's guidelines for replacing vehicles/equipment (1,600+ pieces of rolling stock). These guidelines were developed many years ago. Please realize that these are just "guidelines" and that vehicle condition, use, and maintenance records are taken into consideration when replacement decisions are made.

The City of Rochester Water Bureau Fleet Replacement Policy is in its original format, as presented to the employees. References to their fleet, personnel, and steps taken to create the policy have not been edited as this background information helped their employees understand their reasoning. If you would like to discuss the policy Fleet, Materials and Facility Manager Gary Giudice can reach at Gary.Giudice@CityofRochester.gov or by phone at 585-428-6499.

RMI's Frequently Asked Questions list covers sustainable communities and other issues. The site also includes a newsletter and publications catalog.

Here is the replacement plan spreadsheet I put together to calculate which units in our vehicle classifications are most costly. This helps me identify what units should be replaced first and gives some data to support that decision. How it works: 1) Enter all of the vehicles in a particular vehicle classification 2) Enter annual fuel consumed 3) Enter annual maintenance 4) Enter current odometer reading 5) Enter the class averages in each category 6) As listed in the notes the spreadsheet will calculate the Maintenance, Fuel and Odometer "Factor" 7) The far right column will display the Replacement Factor 8) Do a data, sort by Replacement factor 9) The highest Replacement Factor is the most costly vehicle in total operating costs. This method works well when there is not a lot of historical data or fleet history to be had. Dennis R. Hogan - CAFM Fleet Services Manager Fleet Services Division 1010 1st Street NW City of Cedar Rapids, IA 52405 D.Hogan@cedar-rapids.org

TwHP program has posted two on-line lesson plans based on historic places, The Greatest Dam in the World: Building Hoover Dam and Making the Desert Bloom: The Rio Grande Project.

This Vehicle Evaluation Checklist is a companion document to the City of Rochester's Fleet Replacement Policy provided in an additional Resource Center entry.

“Although the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) developed NIMS compliance requirements for state, local, and tribal governments, they have not developed requirements for individual sectors, such as the water sector. In the absence of specific requirements, this document provides recommended water sector NIMS implementation objectives that integrate NIMS principles into utility operations and planning.” This handout was developed by the EPA.