Three mechanics could mean a lot to Southwest Mercer County Regional Police, a department which is expected to spend about $22,000 to maintain its vehicles this year.

If Southwest takes its cars to the Mercer County Community Transit/Shenango Valley Shuttle Service bus garage mechanics next year, it could save as much as $12,000, according to the man who oversees both the department and the garage.

James DeCapua, executive director of the Mercer County Regional Council of Governments, asked the council’s board Wednesday to open the bus garage to all member municipalities. The board unanimously supported the idea.

As early as next month, municipalities will be able to bring police cruisers and other cars to the garage for repair, DeCapua said. DeCapua would like to open the garage to municipal trucks and road equipment in the future.

"We’ve talked about this for a long time," said DeCapua.

"We have the equipment. We have the tools. And now we have the manpower," he added, calling the bus garage mechanics a "top-notch" team that has "rejuvenated" a fleet of buses in about four months.

Bill Jones, Mercer County Community Transit manager, said work at local garages run about $58 an hour. The bus garage rates would run about half that, he said.

Two of the Mercer County Community Transit mechanics are already paid by COG. The other is a Shenango Valley Shuttle Service mechanic employed by the City of Hermitage. COG would pay all three mechanics for repairing municipal cars.

Municipalities would be billed the hourly rate for repair or maintenance work done and for parts. The municipalities would pay COG.

When asked if municipalities would get their cars fixed faster, DeCapua said, "I have no problem making that guarantee."

DeCapua also noted another perk. "After we fix them, we give them a bath," he said, referring to a "freebie" car wash.

Some member municipalities, such as Hermitage and Sharon, already have "in-house" mechanics, DeCapua said. "I don’t think they’re going to need it, but it’s open to all the (COG) municipalities and I know we’ll have at least one customer," DeCapua said, referring to Southwest.

DeCapua, who also heads the Southwest Police commission, said Southwest had budgeted $12,000 for maintenance this year.

This year, however, the commission has already spent $19,000, DeCapua said. He thinks the commission’s repair costs could be as low as $10,000 a year using the bus garage.