Transfinder says it’ll save city money within year
BY HALEY VICCARO Gazette Reporter
HALEY VICCARO/GAZETTE REPORTER
Transfinder’s software will be installed in city vehicles within 45 days and Schenectady will see savings within one year, according to the company’s CEO.
The local software company will put its GPS software in about 72 city vehicles, including garbage trucks and snow plows, to map more effi cient routes and cut down on costs, Schenectady Mayor Gary Mc-Carthy said.
The company, headquartered downtown on State Street, is analyzing the city’s current routes for garbage and snow removal and working to determine more effi cient alternatives.
“We can make sure the citizens are notifi ed quicker, especially if there is a change, whether it’s a snow route or trash collection,” Civitella said. “It could affect other routes. So those are things we should be able to respond to quicker.”
The software would also provide alerts on maintenance issues before they become serious, Civitella said during a presentation of the software at Transfi nder’s offi ces Wednesday afternoon.
The service is expected to cut down on fuel costs, vehicle repairs and number of accidents, he said.
The Schenectady City Council agreed to enter into a contract with Trasnfi nder for the service earlier this month. A projection on total annual savings has not been provided.
“Transfi nder software will pay for itself within the fi rst year of operation,” Civitella said.
The city will pay Transfinder a one-time fee of $36,695 for the software this year, plus $8,730 annually for support and maintenance.
Transfi nder’s partner Zonar, a Washington-based electronic fleet management company, will provide the devices and they will be installed in the Office of General Services’ vehicles by October, according to McCarthy.
In addition to the costs for Transfinder’s software, the city will be required to pay Zonar $5,055 for implementation of the devices this year, and $32,816 next year for the full year.
The city’s Office of General Services now uses paper maps to layout vehicle routes. Transfinder’s software will enable the city to go digital and show vehicles on city streets in real-time.
The deal between Transfinder and Shenectady marks Transfinder’s first contract with a municipality.
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
San Jose, CA — Councilman Johnny Khamis of San Jose recently suggested that garbage trucks should be used to help the police catch suspects. The councilman said that license plate readers can be placed on garbage trucks, and would send information back to police.
This would give police an extra level of surveillance that would be undetected by most people.
“We can cover every street at least once a week and possibly deter thieves from coming into our city,” Khamis told San Jose Mercury News.
“You’re not expecting privacy on a public street,” he added.
However, privacy advocates and representatives with the ACLU pointed out that this is an obvious violation of privacy.
“The idea is they would also collect the location of cars as they drive down the street. If it’s collected repeatedly over a long period of time, it can reveal intimate data about you like attending a religious service or a gay bar. People have a right to live their lives without constantly being monitored by the government,” Chris Conley of the ACLU said.
Sadly, the companies that dispose of trash in the city are not just open to the idea, but they are reportedly “enthusiastic” about the idea.
While the police and the media have claimed that this program will be used to track down stolen cars and abducted children, it is more likely that it will be used to track down small-time drug users and sellers, and nonviolent offenders with outstanding warrants.
so McMayor is saying that the taxpaid employees who pick up trash and remove snow don't know their way around Schenectady????
OMG!!!
Almost $40K + almost $9K/year to do what a McNally map would do?? who heads these departments?
OMG!!!
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
So the taxpayers of the city largely paid to fix up this building for this company
And the homeowners of the city are paying the city taxes, the county taxes, and the school taxes on this property.
And now the mayor swindled the homeowners into paying higher taxes to give this company for a service without competitive bidding.
Oh yeah, and Civitella does not pay taxes via residing in the city.
He has an almost 5,000 square foot lavish house in Guilderland along with a piece of vacant land next to it, worth about $900,000. The taxes are about $25,000 per year. If he had the same type of place in the city, based on that market value, his tax bill would be about $45,000 per year.
Bet he'll be donating to the mayor for re-election
Optimists close their eyes and pretend problems are non existent. Better to have open eyes, see the truths, acknowledge the negatives, and speak up for the people rather than the politicos and their rich cronies.
The city could save a lot by getting rid of the all the men on the trash trucks and get those trucks like the privates use, just a driver and the mechanical arm takes the trash, and it could be done in half the time
Better yet, eliminate that department altogether, all houses in the city should have private collection
Optimists close their eyes and pretend problems are non existent. Better to have open eyes, see the truths, acknowledge the negatives, and speak up for the people rather than the politicos and their rich cronies.
The city could save a lot by getting rid of the all the men on the trash trucks and get those trucks like the privates use, just a driver and the mechanical arm takes the trash, and it could be done in half the time
Better yet, eliminate that department altogether, all houses in the city should have private collection
But then we wouldn't get to pay city pensions and health care.
I agree, put the trash collection and snow plowing out for bids.
Handing more money to Transfinder is just more corporate welfare.
I am totally against more corporate favoritism, and absolutely in favor of free market based competitive bidding.
heres a thought...stop the trash trucks from crossing the bridge to pick up our neighboring village scotias trash...and when are scotia homes going to be hit with the trash fee?
we get to pay the salarys and retirements yet they get off the hook CHEAP
let them fend for them selfs....or treat them like we get treated!!!!!!!!!!!!!
No to the automated arms. The only thing that works somewhat decent in this city is the trash pickup. They take just about anything you put out there. We recently had a flooded basement due to some plumbing issues and they garbage men took over 50 bags of ruined items.
heres a thought...stop the trash trucks from crossing the bridge to pick up our neighboring village scotias trash...and when are scotia homes going to be hit with the trash fee?
we get to pay the salarys and retirements yet they get off the hook CHEAP
let them fend for them selfs....or treat them like we get treated!!!!!!!!!!!!!
my understanding is they pay
village tax town tax county tax
maybe their county tax covers it.....you know their resident's aren't being hit with higher taxes so they don't have to hide it in a fee, which by the way, does NOT fall under taxing regulations and is pretty much a 'protection fee' without controls....that $$ can go ANYWHERE in the budget.......
or not
extortion happens when a city/county lives in a vacuum controlled by a few....regardless of party
...you are a product of your environment, your environment is a product of your priorities, your priorities are a product of you......
The replacement of morality and conscience with law produces a deadly paradox.
STOP BEING GOOD DEMOCRATS---STOP BEING GOOD REPUBLICANS--START BEING GOOD AMERICANS
Ok, for the past 35 yrs that I've been in my house, the garbage and snow plow trucks have gone up the street and down the next one. Works pretty good. I can't wait for the new improved efficient routes. Citizens can be notified quicker of changes, really? How? An absolute joke if ever there was one. If we need this, then the guy who's been running the show should be fired and his salary and benefits pay for this waste. Sadly I fear this is only the beginning.
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