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4 <br />• Reallocation of Fiscal Year 2007-08 Capital Funds to Allow Emergency Purchase of <br />Animal Control Trucks <br />fiver the last week, Animal Services staff has made the Manager aware of a potentially <br />dangerous situation regarding the County's animal containment transportation boxes. Pursuant <br />to the Transportation Standards of the NC Animal Welfare Act, "ambient temperature of the <br />animal boxes shall be maintained between 50 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit." In order to comply <br />with the regulation, "animal containment units must be equipped with operable air-conditioning, <br />forced-air cooling and heating or other appropriate temperature control mechanisms." <br />Orange County currently has six Animal Control trucks equipped with forced air containment <br />boxes. The forced air is not conditioned. Animal Services staff have performed numerous <br />temperature tests on high heat days and found the present forced air boxes inadequate to meet <br />State standards. Staff proposes atwo-year Animal Control truck replacement plan, beginning <br />with a reallocation of capital funding approved in the current fiscal year. Purchasing staff have <br />researched and found 2008 state contract vehicles are still available for purchase. The <br />Manager will consider replacement of the remaining three trucks in the 2009-19 CI P. <br />Staff feels it imperative to pursue replacement of three vehicles immediately before the summer <br />months arrive. This will allow Animal Control to stage compliant vehicles at strategic points <br />throughout the County and ensure that three compliant vehicles are available at all times for <br />animal transportation. <br />The County can purchase 2008 model year pickups through the North Carolina State Contract <br />until May 19, 2008. The trucks have an estimated delivery time of ten to twelve weeks, and the <br />cost is $15,284 each for a total of $45,852 for three. The containment transportation boxes will <br />be purchased from and installed by a separate vendor at a cost to be determined -staff <br />anticipates the costs of the boxes will range between $14,000 and $19,000 each. Staff <br />anticipates the cost of the boxes to be derived through one of the following means: <br />• Informal bids <br />• GSA contract <br />• "Piggyback" a bid done by another local government <br />The anticipated cost of the transportation boxes exceeds the Purchasing Director's purchase <br />order signature limit of $20,000. In order to expedite the acquisition of the boxes and get the <br />new units on the street, staff would like the board to authorize the Purchasing Director to <br />determine whichever method above is the most advantageous to the County and execute the <br />necessary paperwork. If "piggybacking" is the best alternative for the county, staff will prepare <br />the necessary decision agenda item for a regular Board meeting prior to the end of the current <br />fiscal year. <br />Based on the cost information above, staff anticipates replacement of three trucks and <br />installation of associated carriers to be in the neighborhood of $100,000. The Manager <br />recommends borrowing monies from two existing County capital projects -Building Entry <br />Access ($75,000} and Capital Repairs/Replacement Reserve ($25,000) - to fund the <br />replacement trucks. <br />When originally allocated, funding for the Building Entry Access project was to include a pilot <br />project far an access system at Whitted Human Services Center. Given the proposed near <br />future move of Department of Social Services staff and potential move of the Health Department <br />