At a recent Council meeting, "The Appointed One," Steve Solomon referred to a study that stated it is economical for Oro Valley to allow police take home vehicles.
We should note, it is unilaterally up to the Police Chief to decide who gets the "free" car.
It is our position that this policy is a classic example of "tail wagging." If it was a good policy most other communities would adapt it. They don't!
Below are only a few examples of municipalities across the country that have amended their take home vehicle policy.
It's about time Oro Valley does the same!
Chattanooga Implements Take-Home Car Fees
CHATTANOOGA, TN - The city of Chattanooga is implementing a charge for take-home vehicles effective in January. The Police Department is the most affected, with 351 of the 395 City's take-home cars, according to the Chattanoogan.
Those who live within the City will be charged 20 cents per mile for driving to and from work. Those who live outside the city will be charged 30 cents a mile.
The current take-home fleet costs the city $580,000 a year. A representative of the Mayor's office said the fee is necessary to balance the city budget. The city is also discontinuing a policy started during a prior administration of paying $400 monthly mileage allowances to certain employees, according to the news source.
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Arkansas Reports 350-Vehicle Reduction
LITTLE ROCK, AR - Arkansas state agencies have reduced the number of state vehicles by about 350, and 39 employees at executive state agencies have indicated they will no longer use state vehicles for commuting purposes, according to the Department of Finance and Administration. These changes were made in response to Arkansas Mayor Mike Beebe's Executive Order 10-14, signed Oct. 5, which changed state fleet policy to limit vehicle assignments and required all employees to reapply for commuting waivers.
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Audit Calls for San Jose to Eliminate 93 Take-Home Vehicles
SAN JOSE, CA - An audit of the City of San Jose fleet found the City could save $630K annually by eliminating 93 take-home vehicles.
Dated Oct. 14, the audit's focus was on the commuting portion of City vehicle use, estimated to be 1.5 million miles, or 9 percent of total use. It concluded that "the City has allowed City employees to take home more vehicles than needed to meet its operational needs."
According to the audit, the City operates a fleet of 2,200 vehicles. A total of 166 were used as take-home vehicles in FY 2009-10, 144 of which were in use by the Police Department.
Auditors stated: "Vehicles should go home with employees only when frequently needed to address emergencies in the field requiring immediate response. The City should consider eliminating take-home use of at least 93 vehicles, which would result in the avoidance of about $630,000 in annual commuting costs."
These numbers are comprised of 90 police units (including traffic enforcement motorcycles, canine units, and MERGE units used to respond to critical incidents) and three fire department units.
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City Changes Police Take-Home Policy
MORGANTON, NC - City of Morganton, N.C., public safety officers who now take home their patrol cars can continue to do so. However, the rules will change for any officer hired after July 1, for officers who aren't currently assigned a take-home car, or for officers who move further away from headquarters, according to The News Herald.
The Morganton City Council adopted guidelines for its take-home vehicle policy on August 2.
If an officer who now lives outside the city limits or a 5-mile radius of public safety headquarters moves further from headquarters, he or she will lose his or her take-home car, according to the guidelines.
An officer hired after July 1 or who currently doesn't have a take-home car will have to live within the city limits or a 5-mile radius of public safety headquarters to get a take-home car.
7 comments:
Great stuff, Art! I hope you've sent this to the Mayor and council.
I see no reason why a police officer living 45 minutes from OV should get a take-home vehicle when the purpose of it was so he/she should get here quickly if there was ever a major emergency.
The Morganton, NC rule makes more sense...that the officer has to live within the town or within a 5-mile radius in order to qualify for a take-home vehicle.
And somehow Hiremath believes that there is nothing else that can be cut.
Thanks Cowgirl--- I believe those individuals that make policies and vote on all the issues that affect the people of Oro Valley, are very much aware of our blog.
The major problem is---reading it without heeding it doesn't help us too much.
The big thing about this car take home issue, is the fact that "The Appointed One" Council Member Solomon had the audacity to wave a paper from "his throne" on the dais, trying to tell the people that WE are actually saving money with all these cop take home cars, based on a study from one community in Florida.
Maybe, someone can give Solomon this posting, and see how fast he'll wave it in front of people.
VC,
Agree with you, the detailed research that Art did shows the adjustments other municipalities are making about take home vehicles to adapt to these tough economic times. They describe very creative solutions. My transportation to and from work, my coffee, and 100% health benes were never paid by any employer. Just having a steady paycheck and some health benefits are gifts in this economy.
Obviously, the Mayor has never been employed by a large company. Many private companies pay part of your Healthcare, if you are lucky. To have the tax payers provide 100% of the Public Sector's Healthcare is shocking. Now do they want more money for raises? What country do they think they are working in, surely not one where people have lost jobs and are finding it difficult to find new ones. I am sure if they cut salaries a percent or two and the present employees did not like it, they could quit. The Town of Oro Valley could put an ad in the paper. They would have no difficulty finding individuals of stellar backgrounds to fill those positions. Maybe that would be an idea, on how to save money for the Town (provided they did not offer huge financial buyouts).
Do not forget that Waters and Snyder want to be judged on what they do!
Why is it that no council member has commented on this? How much would mileage and payment for gas bring into the budget?
After the Coyote Run elimination (opps... after the Town stopped paying for Coyote Run), and after the increased utility tax, remember that Waters and Synder want to judged by what they do!
Waters and Snyder are going to be very sorry that they ever made that comment!
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