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City garage tour spotlights fleet replacements, police vehicle recall and equipment needs
Summary
At a city-garage walkthrough following the finance committee’s CIP presentation, police and garage staff described planned fleet replacements, a manufacturer recall affecting 11 interceptor vehicles, equipment corrosion tied to winter salt and a vehicle-cascade plan to replace an aging cemetery vehicle.
Following the CIP overview on Aug. 27, Waukesha City staff led an on-site tour of vehicles the city plans to replace. Sergeant Brady, who oversees police fleet issues, described several police fleet requests (a repurposed maintenance van and a parking-enforcement truck used for event logistics) and told the committee the city had ‘‘received an inquiry regarding a recall on 2020 to 2022, at least 4 interceptor utilities. That affects 11 of our current cars.’’ He added Ford ‘‘believes that they're gonna have, the parts to fix those, 2nd 0.25 of next year,’’ and said six of the recalled units were already scheduled in the CIP.
John Weincopf of the City Garage explained roadside- and seasonal-equipment needs for the cemetery and public‑works crews, saying the cemetery standardizes on John Deere 0‑turn mowers with a 48‑inch deck because headstone spacing limits larger decks. ‘‘These 2 vehicles here are for the cemetery. This 0 turn is 1 of 5 that they have to do the entire cemetery,’’ he said. Garage staff described corrosion from winter salt as a persistent problem that increases repair costs; they noted one emissions‑system failure that cost about $22,000 to repair and said newer single‑canister systems perform better and have fewer pipe connections.
Staff also outlined a vehicle-cascade strategy: when a staff vehicle is replaced, the outgoing unit will be repurposed for the cemetery so the cemetery’s older vehicle can be retired. Water‑plant staff asked to replace an aging 2010 Dodge Ram 600 with a standardized Ford F‑150 to address fuel‑regeneration and suspension issues on longer trips. Fire department staff described an ambulance recasting program that buys chassis and retrofits donor boxes, which the assistant chief said yields savings compared with purchasing a fully new ambulance.
The tour included parks, public works and engineering equipment (utility vans with external workstations, grapples for backhoes and stump/grind attachments) and concluded with the committee adjourning from the garage. Committee members were invited to send follow‑up questions about specific fleet items before the Sept. 10 meeting.
