by Elissa Yount
Editor’s Note: In yet another attack of premature senility, we forgot to run this on its regular Wednesday date. We apologize to Ms. Yount as well as readers who have come to expect her midweek musings.
Henderson’s city government should be focusing on all the cost savings they can find each and every day.
Saving on fuel is but one way that our municipal government can do this. Progress Energy is a national leader in developing the infrastructure and technologies for the electric vehicles that can save tremendous amounts of fuel. This initiative provides a great opportunity for our city to cut costs.
When it is essential to spend our tax dollars on vehicles, the city should only purchase vehicles that return big fuel savings. Making the air cleaner is also a worthy goal and benefit of electric vehicles. As our city replaces its fleet of cars, trucks, and work vehicles, they should commit to purchasing electric or electric/hybrid vehicles. While it is agreed that police patrol cars may be an exception, our city should study this issue thoroughly and implement a long-range plan for purchasing electric or electric/hybrid vehicles as a matter of policy.
This study should be done by an impartial agent who has no vested interest in the assignment of vehicles. This analysis for the taxpayer, who after all, owns the vehicles, needs to answer questions such as: Which assignments of personal vehicles are not essential? How much would a car pool save? Is the IRS being notified about personal miles driven by employees?
Henderson has not been frugal in providing a large fleet of vehicles for employees. Most of these are very large, gas-guzzling cars and trucks. As these cars, trucks, and sport-utility vehicles wear out and warrant replacement, there needs to be a careful look at savings.
Henderson should also go one step further and request that the city participate in donating a green energy charging station. The location of the Operations Center, right off Interstate 85 and near US 1 provides a great opportunity for getting in on this developing technology, especially with stimulus money becoming available for such projects.
By doing this, Henderson would show that there are many people here who understand the environmental and economic advantages of plug-in vehicles. We also would show the country that we are on-board with the national security benefits of this technology as our country moves away from being dependent on foreign oil. Also, this would be a great economic development avenue in that it would promote our region as being progressive, creative, and innovative.
Right here is where the cynics will raise their heads and say, “Henderson is not Raleigh.”
No, we are not Raleigh. But, on the other hand, what is wrong with emulating a city that is one of the fastest growing cities in America? What is wrong with emulating a city that is progressive, creative, and innovative? What is wrong with emulating a city that is a desirable place to live? What is wrong with being a city that cares about the future and the environment for us all? What is wrong with planning ahead and making intelligent decisions?
Now if someone will come up with a plan for harnessing all the methane from the old landfill and using it to generate power, we would really be in the market of saving money.