Council highlights fleet department's critical role maintaining city vehicles
The Bloomington City Council held a meeting focused on the operations of the city's Fleet Department, showcasing the skilled technicians who maintain and repair the hundreds of vehicles that keep city services running.
The April 2 meeting, titled "At Your Service: Joe Leisdon," centered on the often-invisible work of the Fleet Department, which is responsible for maintaining and repairing more than 120 different classes of city equipment. The department's responsibilities span from small equipment like lawnmowers to large vehicles including police cars and snowplows—all essential to daily city operations.
The council highlighted the expertise required for this work, emphasizing that fleet technicians hold ASE certifications, which are industry-recognized credentials demonstrating advanced automotive knowledge. Joe Leison, a Bloomington native who grew up on the city's east side, was specifically recognized as an ASE World Class Technician for his dedication to keeping city vehicles safe and operational.
The presentation underscored how critical the Fleet Department is to public safety and city services. For example, technicians at the police command post were addressing a generator issue, demonstrating the range of technical challenges the department handles beyond vehicle maintenance. Without properly maintained equipment, essential services like police patrols, snow removal, and park maintenance would be compromised.
The meeting served as a public recognition of city employees whose work typically goes unnoticed by residents but directly impacts the quality and reliability of municipal services. By spotlighting the Fleet Department's operations and the qualifications of its staff, the council emphasized the importance of investing in skilled maintenance personnel to ensure the city's vehicle fleet remains in top condition.
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Source document
[0:00] (bright music)
[0:14] - This is the police command post.
[0:16] They said they're having
a little bit of an issue
[0:17] with their generator back here.
[0:20] (motor running)
[0:25] That would be the fault we're looking for.
[0:26] Hi, my name is Joe Leison,
[0:28] and I am a fleet technician
for the City of Bloomington.
[0:31] I have been a fleet technician
[0:33] for the last eight years here.
[0:35] We maintain and repair our fleet.
[0:37] We have over 120 classes of
the equipment that we have,
[0:40] means anything from small lawnmowers.
[0:43] Spring's coming up,
[0:44] we're gonna make sure
they're in tip top shape,
[0:46] to large, heavy trucks.
[0:48] I don't know what this one's in here for,
[0:49] but probably something
to do with the leakage
[0:52] coming out of the hydraulic control box.
[0:54] We do it all, mild to wild.
[0:56] - The fleet department
takes a lot of pride
[0:59] in making sure that all of our vehicles
[1:01] are maintained and they're safe.
[1:03] - I personally like working
on all the squad cars
[1:05] and all the police equipment.
[1:06] My main goal in the winter is
[1:08] to rebuild our street sweepers,
also our plowing operation,
[1:12] make sure that they are
out clearing streets.
[1:14] We are looking at our
wall of certifications.
[1:18] Everybody in the shop is ASE certified.
[1:20] I got the ASE World Class
Technician certification.
[1:24] It's a lot of tests, a lot of studying,
[1:26] a lot of hands-on knowledge
[1:27] that pertained to getting that.
[1:28] Well there's 250,000 ASE certified techs
[1:32] and about 2,000 hold the
World Class certification.
[1:35] - [Aaron] It's awesome
that he's willing to do
[1:37] that extra step to make
himself better for us.
[1:40] - [Joe] I was born and raised
Bloomington on the east side.
[1:42] I don't currently live in Bloomington now,
[1:44] but feels kind of cool to come back.
[1:46] My father-in-law, mother-in-law
live in Bloomington,
[1:48] so I'm constantly pointing out,
[1:50] "Hey, that squad there,
did brakes on that one."
[1:52] Or "Hey, that truck there, I rebuilt it."
[1:54] It feels good to keep all that going.
[1:56] What's that old saying?
[1:57] If you do something you love,
[1:58] you never work a day in your life.
[1:59] I feel that's completely true here.
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