Q. Local Government Vehicles: Take them or leave them?

Consider Personal Use a Taxable Fringe Benefit

Randall P. Bailes, City Director of Finance, City of Topeka, KS 

An additional factor you should consider: other than "Public Safety Vehicles" and some other special purpose vehicles, personal use of municipal vehicles is considered a taxable fringe benefit. You must include a value for all personal use, including commuting to and from work in the gross earnings of the employee. 

One Driver Per Vehicle Leads to Better Care

Douglas L. Meadows, Chief of Police, Newnan Police Department, Newnan, Ga.  

I support one driver per vehicle. The maintenance on the vehicles is lower and the life expectancy is tripled at the least. One driver takes better care of a vehicle than when you have two, three or four drivers per vehicle. If a one-driver vehicle breaks down due to abuse, then there is less of a problem determining who abused the vehicle. For example, we used to assign one rechargeable flashlight per unit and the flashlight usually would not operate when needed and was constantly being sent off for repairs. However, we then issued each officer their own flashlight, and now very seldom do we have to send a flashlight off for repairs. We also issue each officer their own portable radios and this has reduced maintenance on the portable radios due to abuse. At present, we do not have take-home cars for everyone. The Chief, Asst. Chief, Investigators, and some School Resource Officers have them. The life of these vehicles is usually 4 to 6 years or longer. 

Some Take Them and Adhere to Guidelines, Some Leave Them

Randy Williams, Utility Services Manager, Town of Flower Mound 

Our policies allow for Department Heads to determine the appropriateness of taking home a Town vehicle. An employee must reside within the corporate limits of the Town, or within the corporate limits of a contiguous municipality. The Town recognizes the take-home vehicle as a benefit, and requires taxes to be paid by the employee for the use according to the roundtrip mileage from the employee's reporting station to his home. There are also liability limitations that prevent the employee from transporting any person not associated with legitimate Town activities. Other limitations include using the vehicle for errands, or transporting any items that would not be allowed in a Town facility such as alcoholic beverages, firearms, smoking, etc. Some employees benefit from the use, such as those on an "after hour" rotation, and it does reduce the response time by being able to respond directly from their home. Other employees do not see the benefit of a "take home" vehicle because of the restrictions, and choose to report to our central office before responding to a customer request. Department Heads have discretion in allowing an employee to take home a vehicle providing they adhere to usage guidelines and that the need is justifiable. 

Defensive Driving Course Might Reduce Accidents

Nicole Demetreas, Assistant Deputy Treasurer, Peoria County Treasurer, Illinois 

With certain departments (i.e. the Sheriff's dept.) having a take home vehicle makes sense. Not only is it a possible deterrent to crime in their neighborhood, but because it is "their" car they will take better care of it and prolong the life of the vehicle. For the majority of employees having access to a vehicle after coming to work should be just fine. In addition, for those who would be driving a municipal vehicle, a defensive driving course should be made mandatory before having access to the car. This might reduce the number of accidents and liability.