Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Safety topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council approves pilot program for police fuel cards; staff to study permanent fueling site
Summary
The council approved R158 to pilot gas-card usage for police vehicles in west-side commands and directed administration to report within 45 days on the costs and benefits of building a permanent fueling station at the Northwest Area command.
The Albuquerque City Council approved R158, a pilot program authorizing fuel cards for police vehicles assigned to the Northwest and Southwest area commands with the goal of reducing response-time gaps caused by long trips to fueling sites.
Council debate focused on officer safety and operational efficiency versus controls and oversight. Councilor Matthew Sanchez, sponsor of the pilot, noted officers reported lengthy travel times to refuel outside their patrol areas and said a local fueling option would keep officers available for calls. The pilot authorizes cards for district-level use; the council also adopted an amendment asking the administration to submit a report within 45 days analyzing the expense and potential cost savings of constructing a permanent fueling station (bulk fuel tank/fuel farm) at the Northwest command center.
APD and union concerns were raised during the meeting. The Police Chief and department staff said they supported long-term solutions but cautioned that earlier iterations of off-site fuel-card programs produced oversight problems. City staff explained that the department's fleet-management systems depend on pump-based mileage tracking to schedule preventive maintenance; without an interface that links WEX/credit-card transactions to the fleet system, the department could lose maintenance-tracking information. Councilors and department leaders agreed to proceed with a pilot while the administration studies a permanent fueling facility option.
Ending: The council passed the pilot and the data-request amendment. Administration will return a report with an analysis of construction and operating costs and potential savings associated with a on-site fueling station in the Northwest command area.
