Published on: Thursday, February 09, 2012

By Christa Puccio

The Department of Fleet Management Services (DFMS) reduced the assignments from 242 to 137, a 43 percent reduction over a year since the Transportation, Infrastructure, Energy & Environment Committee (T&E) and Government Operations & Fiscal Policy Committee (GO) reviewed various issues related to the County’s non-public safety take-home vehicle policies. 

“[Councilmember Hans] Riemer and the committee as a whole felt that there had been significant advances made by the executive branch with respect to it,” said Council President Roger Berliner.  

The Council required, as part of the FY12 Operating Budget resolution, semi-annual reporting on the take-home vehicle policy, assignments, reimbursement methods, compliance and departmental oversight.  According to the T&E Committee, there were three issues with the county’s current take-home car program: (1) the failure of several employees (and in some cases entire departments) to provide written justification for take-home vehicle assignments; (2) the use of “evening meetings” as a sole justification for take-home vehicle assignments; and (3) accountability and record keeping with regard to reimbursement for personal use of vehicles.

“There was a sense that the executive branch had seriously taken our concerns to heart and had seriously gone about demonstrating that take-home vehicles cannot be a perk,” said Berliner.  “They need to be justified and I believe the executive branch is pursuing that in a responsible manner and we are acknowledging that and basically saying keep going.”

According to the memo from Legislative Analyst Susan Farag, the county reported a total of 242 non-public safety take-home vehicles in March, of which, about half lacked appropriate justification because various departments had not submitted the required paperwork to the DFMS.

By September, DFMS reduced the size of the fleet from 242 to 208, the number of take-home vehicles assigned to senior administrative staff from 25 to 15, and of the remaining 15 vehicles assigned to senior staff, six permanent assignments shifted to seasonal status.  Seasonal status is Dec. 1 to Feb. 28.

As of January 2012, DFMS reduced the fleet by 137, a 43 percent reduction from last year.

“So we’re not going to be buying as many replacement vehicles because we don’t need as big of a fleet,” said Berliner.  “We need to demonstrate that as a government we are being efficient and these people who have a take-home vehicle absolutely need it.  We had some directors who turned in their vehicles because they realized they don’t need it.  They changed the policy that if you go to meetings at night you need it – no, maybe not.  So, I think the executive branch understands that we need to send a message that we are cracking down and running a tight ship.”