There was a time during the 1980s when local officials wanted to model themselves on Newark, where council members had not only cars but staff and offices as well. Apparently the use of city-owned vehicles spread in Newark and is now being reined in, as described in this article.
In its "Best Practices" program, the state asks municipalities about their policies on use of municipal vehicles and whether such use is calculated as a fringe benefit.
The thrice-rejected "manager motors" title may have helped out with sorting out the pros and cons of municipal vehicle use, although here's what the Municipal Code says:
The City Administrator or his designee shall maintain complete records of the use of all publicly-owned or publicly-supported vehicles and/or equipment consistent with this Section. It shall further be required that all records and information maintained pursuant to this Section shall be provided to the City Council or any member thereof upon request.
The designee could have been the "manager motors," if the council had agreed.
The 2015 budget process will be done with a public hearing and final passage of the amended budget on Wednesday, but in future budget planning maybe the fleet of city-owned vehicles, the roster of designated users and all related costs will be studied.
--Bernice
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment