Mayor thinks GPS in city vehicle likely to save money

By Monday Eunice city vehicles in the street, wastewater and gas departments will be equipped with GPS devices, Mayor Scott Fontenot said.
Fontenot was busy Thursday helping Todd Smith, a mechanic at the City Barn, install the GPS devices in vehicles.
“We are going to have them pretty much on every truck that goes throughout the city,” Fontenot said. “What I expect is to get our investment returned on ... reduced fuel costs. I think we will have less maintenance on the vehicles.”
The other side of the GPS installation is insurance costs will be reduced, but Fotnenot said he does not know by how much.
“It is actually going to determine where our employees are and where they’ve been,” he said.
The devices may also help prevent false claims against city workers, he said.
The GPS system, which pinpoints the location of a vehicle, also will reveal if a vehicle has been speeding, driven erratically, if the driver wore a seat belt and when the vehicle was started and turned off, he said.
“Everybody I’ve talked to whether is a municipality or business say it is one of the best things they’ve ever done,” Fontenot said of the GPS installation.
The devices were obtained from Acadian Total Security for $3,000 up front cost and $22 per month per device he said. The GPS system is expected to cost about $8,000, he said.
Supervisors, the mayor and aldermen will be able to access GPS records from their smart phone, tablets and computers, he said.
“What my goal is to let people know that we are using their money correctly and they are going to get the most out of what they are giving,” he said.