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<br />Councilmember Look asked about car wash expenses. <br /> <br />Captain Dwyer stated that the City has completely eliminated that expense and the officers have <br />been washing their own cars. <br /> <br />Councilmember Look asked if the City had ever looked into making arrangements with the local <br />gas stations, since the City is spending $8,000 a month on gasoline. <br /> <br />Councilmember Strommen stated that her brother-in-law owns a service station and they are not <br />making any money on the gasoline sales, especially when people pay with a credit card. <br /> <br />Councilmember. Look stated that he feels that. the gas stations would like to have a police <br />presence there and feels they would support complimentary car washes. <br /> <br />Captain Dwyer stated that Bill's Superette used to offer free car washes with a certain number of <br />gallons of gas purchased. <br /> <br />Police Chief Way stated that the officers are washing them here on site, which the guys don't <br />really like, but they are helping save a lot of money. He stated that the ammunition costs have <br />increased by 60%. He stated that he talked to Federal Cartridge in Anoka about the possibility of <br />buying in bulk at a cheaper rate; however, Federal Cartridge did not want to do it. He stated that <br />ammunition is cheaper in Illinois and he has even thought about driving his truck down and <br />filling it up. He stated that another expense is for the Ultima replacement car batteries and noted <br />that for new cars, the batteries are only lasting about a year. <br /> <br />Councilmember Dehen asked about the cell phone and Blackberry expenses. <br /> <br />Police Chief Way stated that there are a lot of phones in the City and staff has discussed possible <br />ways to reduce this cost, Citywide. He stated that it is very important for the officers to have <br />phones because they help with the speed and efficiency. <br /> <br />Councilmember Dehen asked what it cost for a basic cell phone and if the officers needed to <br />have phones that had all the bells and whistles. <br /> <br />City Administrator Ulrich stated that the basic cost is $28.44 a month and the Blackberry's cost <br />an additional $33.75 a month.in addition to some licensing fees. He stated that the City has 64 <br />cell phones and 18 of those are Blackberrys. <br /> <br />Councilmember Jeffrey stated that a Blackberry is like having a mobile office. He stated that he <br />can use his for e-mail, Internet, and even booking flights. <br /> <br />Councilmember Dehen stated that his point was that, as a government agency, maybe the <br />employees don't need a mobile office. <br /> <br />City Administrator Ulrich stated that the City is looking into other options. <br /> <br />City Council Work Session / Monday, August 18,2008 <br />Page 9 of 12 <br />