The Irving City Council unanimously approved an adjustment to the Fiscal Year 2021-22 budget for funding of vehicles and equipment.
Some industries continue to grapple with the financial ripple effects from the COVID-19 pandemic. Irving’s Fleet Operations knows these challenges firsthand.
For nearly two years, the division has seen automotive manufacturers and supply chain companies struggle to produce and distribute vehicles and critical parts necessary to maintain the city’s fleet operations. With this ongoing issue in mind, the City Council approved $8,236,156 in order to proactively purchase vehicles in the event of shortages or continued delays to the automotive supply chain.
Fleet Operations has faced numerous struggles to support organizational operations, including finding critical parts for city vehicles.
Many municipalities like the City of Irving compete with one another to source and purchase parts and vehicles for their daily operations. Fleet has also struggled with having vehicles “on order” for nearly two years during the pandemic, with no delivery date in sight.
As older vehicles that would normally be retired or replaced continue to stay in the city’s rotation, costs for maintenance and repair also continue to increase. Despite these challenges, the city’s Fleet division continues to use innovative, cost-saving methods to ensure the city’s operations are not negatively affected.
The $8.2 million in funding will go toward the purchase of vehicles across the organization, including:
- 18 Irving Police Department patrol units
- 13 miscellaneous heavy equipment vehicles
- Six miscellaneous work trucks
- Three ambulances
- One Irving Fire Department pumper
- One compactor
- One Vactor rig (Water Utilities Department digging machine)
The goal of this strategic use of city funding is to ensure that Irving remains a top priority among those waitlisted for vehicles and vital automotive equipment.