As reported accurately by Daniel Dunkle in Village Soup, the Town of Camden approved a 39-month lease of an electric vehicle for use by the code officer. The Town Manager reported that the code officer has used his vehicle more than the other five vehicles in Camden’s fleet (harbor master, assistant public works, waste water, fire chief and police chief administrative car).

The Town Manager reported that at the federal reimbursement rate of 65.5 cents a mile, the code officer is losing money because he drives a “Big Truck”.

Last year he was reimbursed $2,080 for his yearly driving expenses. That implies he drove 3,176 miles on town business.  For a 39-month lease, without insurance or amortization of the existing electric charger, that works out to the Town paying for 3.25 years of mileage (10,321 miles) the sum of $34,901. That is an astounding $3.38 a mile.

Apparently, because the individual has chosen to drive a “ large truck”, the Town Manager recommended that the taxpayers lease a vehicle which will cost, per mile more than five times what we are paying now.  And the Select Board rubber-stamped the Town Manager’s request. 

Chris Nolan had insightful questions and he and Stephanie French voted against the proposal.  For the Select Board members who supported the Town Manager’s request: Would you spend your own money that way? 

Did we consider hand-me-downs from our fleet? Paying extra for the code officer’s gas expenses?   If the Code Officer, as reported by the Town Manager, drives more than anyone for town business, what is our cost per mile for the five other vehicles in the town fleet?

Apparently, sharing of fleet vehicles is not presently going on. 

The Town has weakened the Budget Committee by making the Budget Committee an appointed committee. The Town has approved $220,000 for another assessment by the same company that performed an assessment last year.  Camden's track record does not appear laudable and perhaps we should ask for more attention to our expenditures. 

Jonathan Beitler lives in Camden