Spotlight on Milwaukee County Workers: Milwaukee County Fleet Management Awarded “Fleet Top 100” Honor

MILWAUKEE – Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele today announced that the Milwaukee County Fleet Management Division was awarded the “Fleet Top 100” honor for 2016 by The 100 Best Fleets, which recognizes the top fleet management teams in the Americas.

The Fleet Management Division purchases and maintains vehicles and equipment used by Milwaukee County departments. Keys to this program include minimizing vehicle and equipment downtime, providing a preventative maintenance program, and educating users on safe operation and daily maintenance. This division provides three main functions: Equipment Repairs, Inventory Management, and Equipment Coordination.

As part of County Executive Abele’s launch of department-specific performance goals, the Department of Transportation and Fleet Management Division set out to achieve “Top Fleet” status, which is based on how a division is able to measure and track their success in meeting 12 specific criteria, by 2017. Those criteria include accountability, collaboration, creativity, efficiency, staff development, and evidence of a high trust culture. The Division won the distinction in its first year applying, ahead of schedule, and aims to win again next year.

Productivity is up to 98 percent through the use of key performance indicators available to all County employees for complete transparency. Fleet availability is set at 94 percent. These metrics are far above industry standards, and have been achieved through outstanding leadership and support from County officials.

“We’re getting things done in Milwaukee County, and that’s due in large part to our hardworking County employees, like those at the Fleet Management Division,” County Executive Chris Abele said. “Our team is not only setting goals and achieving them, we’re winning awards and setting our sights even higher all the time because we have created a culture where excellence is the baseline. I’m incredibly proud of the Fleet Management Division for being the first team to reach their performance goal and look forward to seeing what they are able to accomplish next for Milwaukee County.”

“Milwaukee County Fleet Management distinguished itself among 38,000 public Fleet Departments in North America primarily by running the department like a business,” said Tom C. Johnson, author of the 100 Best Fleets contest. “They were able to define and achieve sustainability by receiving the 3 Star Wisconsin Smart Fleet Award. The County fleet represents the very best in public service ensuring taxpayer dollars are managed well.”

About Performance Management at Milwaukee County:

With an unrelenting focus on continuous improvement, Milwaukee County is well on its way to being a model government in the way that it manages its performance and delivers results to its citizens.

These disciplined efforts have already yielded significant improvements: the County’s Fleet Department has been recognized as one of the “100 Best Fleets in the Americas”; chronic homelessness in the County has dropped by over 70 percent; annual energy costs have declined by more than $3 million since launching our Office of Sustainability in 2013, even accounting for seasonal swings in temperature, and the County is improving financial support for children in the poorest neighborhoods through our Child Support Services division setting new records for families served.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.