B.G. approves SUV purchase for city manager

The city of Battle Ground purchased a 2010 sport utility vehicle to be used by the new city manager, rather than give the top official a monthly vehicle allowance.

After approving City Manager John Williams’ contract, the council gave Williams the OK to spend up to $22,000, including sales tax, on a vehicle. The vote was taken at the April 19 city council meeting, following an executive session to evaluate the qualifications of an applicant for public employment. Councilman Paul Zandamela voted against the policy change. Deputy Mayor Phil Haberthur was absent.

On April 23, the city purchased a 2010 Ford Escape from Columbia Ford in Longview for $21,825.

Mayor Mike Ciraulo said the policy change will save the city money.

“The overriding factor was, it’s a cheaper alternative for the city,” Ciraulo said.

Former City Managers Dennis Osborn and Eric Holmes were given a monthly vehicle allowance of $400. Former City Manager Dave Mercier received $500 per month, said Bonnie Gilberti, the city’s executive assistant and public information officer.

By purchasing, Ciraulo said, the city acquires a new vehicle that can rotate into its fleet in the future. Ciraulo expects the city will be able to use the vehicle for 10 to 15 years.

Gilberti said the city did not have a vehicle in its fleet for Williams to use.

“It was a financial decision, bottom line,” Ciraulo said.

Zandamela disagrees. He considered the purchase unnecessary, especially as the city is still facing a worsening budgetary crisis. “We didn’t need to buy him a vehicle; that was wrong,” he said. “It was a misuse of taxpayer dollars.”

Because the SUV is a city vehicle, the city picks up the tab for insurance, gasoline and maintenance. Those extra costs add up, Zandamela said.

The city pays to insure the vehicle, not Williams, which will cost about $100 a year, Gilberti said. The city expects maintenance to be minimal because it’s a new vehicle. Since April 23, the city has spent $114 for gasoline, she said.

Zandamela argues that because the city is picking up those costs, the city and citizens have no way of knowing whether the vehicle is being misused. When employees use their own vehicles, they are less likely to misuse them, he said.

“We have no control, that’s the bottom line, and the taxpayers are paying for it, ” he said.

Williams was unavailable for comment Friday.

Williams’ employment contract states the vehicle can be driven for all business use and limited personal use, such as normal commuting, personal errands and other trips as necessary for Williams’ convenience. The contract indicates those trips should be within a “reasonable distance.”

Gilberti said city managers make trips to city buildings in Battle Ground as well as to other municipalities in Clark County. The number and distance of the trips varies week to week, she said.

The vehicle was purchased through the city’s membership in the state purchasing cooperative program, Gilberti said. The program is administered by the Washington State General Administration and gives its 650 members access to more than 300 contracts for goods and services.

Williams made the decision about what type of vehicle to purchase, which Ciraulo called “pretty economical.”

Zandamela said he would have rather the city spent the $22,000 on services for the citizens or to help nonprofit organizations than to have bought a city employee a new vehicle.

Marissa Harshman: 360-735-4546 or marissa.harshman@columbian.com.