Cost issues stall county's anti-idling plan for vehicles

A new Salt Lake County anti-idling ordinance, endorsed by Mayor Peter Corroon and unanimously approved by a county steering committee, failed to make it to a vote Tuesday after the council raised questions about implementation costs.

The new ordinance compels drivers of county vehicles to turn off their engines if idling for more than one minute consecutively or for more than a combined five minutes in any one-hour period. Slightly less stringent rules apply to operators of off-road equipment and drivers transporting youths or the elderly.

Part of the plan includes installing telematic devices in monitoring equipment that gathers and sends operating data on the county vehicle, remotely, to an information collection center.

County fleet director John Webster told the council that the devices cost $400 and require a monthly data subscription fee that runs about $25 per month, per vehicle. Webster said his agency had not determined how many vehicles would need to be outfitted with the monitors and could not provide the council with an aggregate cost figure — a number Councilman Mark Crockett suggested would help the council evaluate the ordinance.

The council voted to table the issue until next week, when Webster will return to present new cost figures.

In other council business, the Salt Lake County jail's medical director delivered a positive report on the new, in-house jail medical unit. Dr. Todd Wilcox told the council that the medical unit, in service since July 1 of this year, has saved the county 84 inmate hospital days and is running ahead of break-even cost status. In addition to the anticipated cost savings, the jail's chief, Rollin Cook, said the new service contributes to a higher level of public safety. "We've lessened liability in terms of fewer inmates being transported out of incarceration," Cook said.

Next week, the council begins its yearly fiscal duties, with the presentation of county auditor Jeff Hatch's annual budget overview for 2009.

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