JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – One of the promises made by Gov. Eric Greitens while on the campaign trail was to identify ways to save money and better utilize assets. As part of this initiative, the Governor brought in Drew Erdmann as the new chief operating officer for the state to help identify ways to consolidate the system.
On Thursday, the Missouri Office of Administration announced that the COO’s Task Force on Fleet Management had identified more than $2 million in potential cost savings for the State and the UM System.
“Governor Greitens has charged us to bring the best of business to run our government more efficiently and save our citizens money,” Erdmann said. “The Task Force on Fleet Management shows how business experts can help us deliver tangible impact for both Missouri state employees and the taxpayers.”
By reducing the consolidated vehicle pool by at least 30 vehicles, a potential savings of more than $520,000.
The University of Missouri System will update policies and initiate cost-cutting measures for the university’s fleet, which is estimated to generate immediate savings of anywhere from $1.5 to $2 million.
“The University is pleased to be part of this effort,” UM System President Mun Choi said. “As with all of our recognized cost-savings, this will allow us to continue to invest further in the success of our students, faculty, and staff and bring value to the citizens of Missouri through community and economic development.”
A news release from the Office of Administration says that all of the proposed actions will be “undertaken without sacrificing service levels.”
The task force, convened under the auspices of the Hawthorn Foundation beginning in October of 2017, brought together experts from various industries to share their best practices and recommend cost-saving methods, safety, and other improvements. Some of the participants included the Office of Administration, Department of Transportation, Department of Conversation, and Highway Patrol, as well as the University of Missouri System. Private sector experts came from Ameren, AT&T, Enterprise Holdings, Ford Motor Company, Hogan Transportation, Kansas City Power and Light, McKinsey & Company and GPS Insight. All the experts volunteered their time to the Task Force.
You can view the task force’s summary report here.
Benjamin Peters was a reporter for The Missouri Times and Missouri Times Magazine and also produced the #MoLeg Podcast. He joined The Missouri Times in 2016 after working as a sports editor and TV news producer in mid-Missouri. Benjamin is a graduate of Missouri State University in Springfield.
