Mattawa is considering electronically monitoring its municipal fleet and the council is looking into costs, and whether this move will help reduce the municipal insurance bill.
“We’re looking for a fleet management solution for the Town of Mattawa,” explained Dexture Sarrazin, Mattawa’s Director of Community Services.
Fleet management involves telematics, a technology that uses the Global Positioning System and other sensors to collect data from vehicles, equipment, and other assets. Dashboard cameras often play a part in management as well.
Currently, one vehicle in the town’s fleet is taking part in this telematics trial – the building and by-law enforcement vehicle. The company providing the test unit is Fleet Complete, a partner of Telus Communication, Sarrazin noted.
The municipality has 13 vehicles in its fleet.
“We’re working with our insurance provider to see what kind of discounts are available to bring telematics on board,” Sarrazin said, noting the estimated cost to install and monitor equipment for the fleet would be around $20 to $25 per month per vehicle – about $3,120 per year on the low end.
Monitoring the vehicles could also help deter theft, Sarrazin added, and aid in recovering stolen municipal property. The telematics system could also monitor mileage, gas usage, and other information about the fleet. This data could save a lot of staff time, Sarrazin highlighted, as currently tabulating that information “takes between 10 to 20 hours per week” of staff time. A printout detailing each vehicle’s usage from the telematic machine could make that data entry task all the easier.
“I like this,” enthused Mayor Raymond Bélanger, adding he looked forward to receiving more information on the proposed project in due time.
Councillor Mathew Gardiner suggested if the costs work out and council gives the green light for monitoring the fleet, then it should also create a policy to regulate the practice. Council agreed with that. Mayor Bélanger noted that “Once you have a policy your staff is aware” of all things related to the monitoring.
The mayor also noted that he detected some “hesitancy” among councilors, adding the hesitancy may stem from the notion that “We’re worried that we’re trying to catch someone. Let’s look at it from a different angle,” he urged, “that we’re trying to protect them.”
“Rolling stock is expensive,” Sarrazin added. “We want to make sure our assets are protected and managed without a significant impact on staff. The rising cost of insurance is forcing us to look at creative ways to help reduce risk. Telematics allows us to automate some of this work.”
David Briggs is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter who works out of BayToday, a publication of Village Media. The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada.
