CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — The Chattanooga City Council voted Tuesday to buy new software meant to keep closer watch on the city’s vehicle fleet, about two months after an internal audit turned up more than $1 million in auto parts purchases that were never properly approved.
The resolution signs the city to a five-year deal with OpenGov Inc. for fleet asset management software. Spending is capped at $150,000 a year, which puts the total at no more than $750,000. The company says the platform tracks vehicle maintenance, work orders and parts prices, and can give managers live data on how the fleet is being used.
The August audit found the Fleet Management Division had run up the parts bill through unregistered purchases. Two city employees were put on leave after it came out and later resigned. A city spokesperson has repeatedly declined to name them, and the city said at the time it would investigate the spending.
Council members passed a second measure Tuesday aimed at reining in costs. It sets up a $1 million parts agreement split among three suppliers, so the city can compare quotes before buying instead of relying on a single vendor.
According to a Public Works spokesperson, the city has made a number of changes since the audit, the software among them, and city officials said some procedural fixes are already in place while the department works through the rest of the problems the audit identified.
With two garages, the division keeps everything from city sedans and pickups to fire trucks and heavy equipment on the road.
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