Budget: Vienna Council should relax vehicle ordinance
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Those of us working with smaller budgets know sometimes emergency purchases can throw a wrench in the works. We try to plan for them. We try to be responsible by spending as little as possible on the necessities and putting money aside for the luxuries. We make responsible decisions, such as searching for a quality used car rather than paying full price for the shiniest new car we can find, in the hopes that those inevitable emergencies might do a little less damage to our bank accounts.
Vienna City Council, which is in the midst of its budgeting season, has a bit of a conundrum on its hands. There have been at least nine requests for new vehicles this year. And the operative word there is "new."
In fact, the purchase of several new vehicles has been a sticking point year after year. While many of us shake our heads and wonder why they don't simply either say "no" (not every one who asks for a new vehicle needs one), or look for a good used model that might cost a little less, the matter is not quite that simple.
To avoid going over budget and/or having to make painful cuts elsewhere, council members should look at reworking the ordinances that now make it difficult for them to bid on used vehicles at auction. To be the best stewards of Vienna residents' tax and fee dollars, council should give itself the freedom to bid on the equipment and services that make the best financial sense for the community.
It might also be prudent to take another spin through the insurance policies on those vehicles, so that a "totaled" truck does not end up costing the city more than half a million dollars to replace.
Budgeting time is no fun for anyone. Those handling the finances for a household often find themselves having to look through the fine print to discover whether changes can be made to improve their situation.
It is time for Vienna City Council to do the same.