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Resident urges Bradford to replace city fleet with mileage reimbursement; council requests cost study
Summary
A resident urged the City Council to eliminate nonessential city vehicles and reimburse employees for mileage; council members asked for factual backing and challenged the resident to bring a comparative cost study.
During the public comment portion of the Aug. 23 Bradford City Council meeting, resident Jim Tingley urged the council to stop replacing nonessential city-owned passenger vehicles and instead reimburse employees for work-related mileage.
Tingley said he received a list of city-owned vehicles and observed some are older model years. He urged the council “to consider when replacing these vehicles … go back to having city employees drive their own vehicles and pay them mileage,” and argued that paying mileage would help the budget.
Council members pushed back, asking Tingley for supporting data. One council member asked what facts supported the claim that mileage reimbursement is less expensive, and another challenged Tingley to provide a cost comparison study, noting vehicle costs include maintenance, fuel and related expenses that should be compared to reported mileage reimbursements.
Why it matters: shifting from city-owned vehicles to mileage reimbursement would change operating costs, employee arrangements and budget lines; the council did not take formal action on the suggestion during the meeting.
Outcome and next steps: the transcript shows no formal referral or staff assignment to complete a cost study. The presiding official and other council members asked the resident to provide study materials; there was no recorded motion directing staff to investigate or adopt a policy change.
