[MissoulaGov] Committee Update 8-3-08

[Eric Taylor]

One of the city’s vehicles that come to my mind is the Mayor’s Mercury Mariner Hybrid. 

The list price of a well equipped 2008 model is about $30,000. I know the Mayor’s truck is leased, but for comparison purposes I think the base price will suffice. The fueleconmy.gov web page estimates the Mariner’s gas mileage at 29 mpg. city/27 mpg. highway.

A well-equipped 2008 non-hybrid Ford Focus costs about $16,000. The fueleconomy.gov web page estimates the Focus’s gas mileage at 24 mpg. City/ 35 mpg. Highway.

As an aside, all that is required to find this information is a computer and an Internet connection. 
I wonder which vehicle would result in a greater savings for the citizens of Missoula?










From: janetdonahue at msn.com
To: jmcgrath at missoulahousing.org; missoulagov at cmslists.com; BJaffe at ci.missoula.mt.us
Date: Thu, 4 Sep 2008 16:18:56 -0600
Subject: Re: [MissoulaGov] Committee Update 8-3-08




RE: [MissoulaGov] Committee Update 8-3-08






I think that is what Strategic Planning is all about.  The council 
could identify strategic issues such as a conservation staff person if you had a 
planning process (and maybe you do and I'm not aware of it).  Then it would 
be identified as a priority and become a part of the administrative 
budget.  

  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Bob Jaffe 
  To: Jim McGrath ; missoulagov at cmslists.com 
  Sent: Thursday, September 04, 2008 12:47 
  PM
  Subject: Re: [MissoulaGov] Committee 
  Update 8-3-08
  

  
  What the mayor has 
  requested is that the council make requests like "we want a conservation staff 
  person" sometime before February so those things can be incorporated into the 
  executive budget. I think this year will go a lot better than last since we 
  will be doing strategic planning. First quarter of this year it was hard to 
  think past the next subdivision.
   
  bob
   
  

  
  From: Jim McGrath 
  [mailto:jmcgrath at missoulahousing.org]
Sent: Thu 9/4/2008 9:02 
  AM
To: Bob Jaffe; missoulagov at cmslists.com
Subject: RE: 
  [MissoulaGov] Committee Update 8-3-08


  
  
  "What choice do I 
  have?" you ask twice. And you express frustration with the budget 
  process.
  Bob, in general I 
  agree that you should have staff in place that you trust and allow them to 
  make recommendations that you have some confidence in following. But you 
  always have a choice. If you are pinching pennies, the staff's recommendation 
  that new cars are needed might be balanced out with the need to stretch 
  funding - perhaps cycle the replacements over more years. 
  Whatever. 
  
  I also usually prefer 
  the council to advise the administration on its direction (we should have a 
  conservation staff person) and have them come back with the recommended 
  approach (permanent or contract etc.) but to say that the mayor's direction to 
  you makes it out of your control is not something I agree with - but it does 
  explain why you might be frustrated during budget discussions. 
  
   
  
  
  
  
  From: Bob 
  Jaffe [mailto:BJaffe at ci.missoula.mt.us] 
Sent: Thursday, September 04, 2008 8:25 
  AM
To: Jim McGrath; 
  missoulagov at cmslists.com
Subject: RE: [MissoulaGov] Committee 
  Update 8-3-08
   
  
  
  A majority on 
  council are very receptive to the recommendations of this committee at this 
  time.  The council was more or less talked out of the idea for the 
  conservation coordinator by the Mayor. My understanding is that he is 
  supportive of this idea but wants it to be planned out a little better. 
  Is this going to be a long term position, full time or part time, what will 
  they do? Would it be more effective to just contract this job?  If this 
  is pushed as a priority while he is putting together the executive budget 
  this year I would hope that it will be included. 
  
  Of course these things could have 
  been figured out and implemented this year but I thought he made it clear this 
  wasn't the way he wanted to do it and we don't really have any control over 
  that sort of thing.
  
   
  
  Regarding police cars and the like; if the 
  administration and department heads and maintenance department tell us the 
  cars are worn out and need to be replaced to maintain basic public safety, 
  efficiency, and employee safety what choice do we have?  I'm not a 
  mechanic. To a large extent we have to trust our staff on most decisions. We 
  also have to hope the administration is doing its best to ensure we have the 
  best staff possible working for the city so they make the 
  right recommendations. In general this is an area I feel pretty good 
  about.
  
   
  
  bob 
  
   
  
  
  
  From: Jim 
  McGrath [mailto:jmcgrath at missoulahousing.org]
Sent: Wed 9/3/2008 10:37 PM
To: Bob Jaffe; 
  missoulagov at cmslists.com
Subject: RE: [MissoulaGov] Committee 
  Update 8-3-08
  
  Bob and 
  all, 
  Nancy is a great choice. And the committee is an important 
  one-- perhaps the most important one nowadays, if it's advice is followed by 
  the city. Having served on this committee and others, as well as your body, 
  and having seen citizens burn their candles in vain serving on volunteer 
  committees, can you perhaps speak to your sense of how the advice or 
  recommendations of this body is currently likely to received and what folks 
  can do to change (improve) that if they so wish? For example the city was able 
  in a budget crunch to buy several hundred thousand dollars worth of police 
  cars but couldn't "afford" a self-supporting staffer to save on energy costs. 
  
   
  -----Original Message----- 
From: missoulagov-bounces at cmslists.com on 
  behalf of Bob Jaffe 
Sent: Wed 9/3/2008 10:14 PM 
To: 
  missoulagov at cmslists.com 
Subject: [MissoulaGov] Committee Update 
  8-3-08 
  
Greetings, 
  We had a 
  short committee day today. Just conservation and A&F. 
  In 
  conservation we voted to put Nancy Wilson on the Greenhouse Gas 
  and 
Energy 
  Conservation Team as the representative from the transportation 
  
community. I don't remember 
  what her title is but she works for 
transportation issues for ASUM. She helped in setting 
  up the various park 
and rides and the current bus programs at the U.  
  She spoke of how there is 
much low hanging fruit for conservation efforts to be 
  found in 
transportation. She also talked about how a lot of 
  people don't connect with 
global warming, the environment, and saving the planet 
  for future 
generations. But they do understand that it is costing 
  a fortune to keep 
filling their tank. The economics of conservation are 
  ultimately where we 
can make the most progress. As an outspoken member of 
  the conspiracy I had 
some doubts about how the vote would go but her 
  application was approved by 
everyone but Dick. Lynn, John H. and Stacy were 
  absent. 
  In 
  A&F we approved the taxing for the downtown business 
  improvement 
district. We also approved a three year contract for 
  union Park's employees. 
As with most things that deal was already done before 
  we heard about it. For 
a number of reasons it's probably best we stay out of 
  such things but it 
pushes my relevancy button when it comes before us for 
  a rubber stamp. 
  That was 
  about it for committees. More next week. 
  Thanks 
  for your interest, 
  Bob 
  Jaffe 
  Missoula City Council, Ward 3 
   <mailto:bjaffe at ci.missoula.mt.us> 
  bjaffe at ci.missoula.mt.us 
  406-728-1052 
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