It's a Wash: Manager Says Village Wouldn't Break Even with its Car Wash Facility

The village may be building a cooperative car washing business down the road, but only if the numbers work in its favor, officials said at Wednesday night's council meeting. And not all are convinced it does.

Deputy Mayor Tom Riche pitched the idea of nixing the $3,500 annual payment the village makes to a firm in Lodi to wash the town's fleet of service vehicles. While the $3,500 (part of a $71,000 budget reserve transfer) covers general maintenance and a complete cleaning inside and out, the deputy mayor said the village might be able to build its own facility, clean its own vehicles and align with neighboring towns for a shared service agreement.

Maybe, he suggested, the village could turn a profit in tough financial times.

But Village Manager Ken Gabbert said he didn't think so. The facility could cost $120,000, Gabbert reported, adding that the DEP would require the village to filter any water being run off into the sewage system. Gabbert said overall, he didn't believe there would be any return on investment for building such a facility under such constraints in addition to labor costs.

Riche also suggested–as resident Boyd Loving did–that the village might be able to save money by taking smaller vehicles to a facility in the area if it could partner with other towns for a bulk discount. But Killion, a former police officer, wasn't sold on that idea as insides of cars can get quite filthy and require thorough cleaning, he said.

Gabbert will be reviewing the particulars of the proposal and reporting back to the council, per Killion's request.