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Taking Away the Keys

Drive-home cars can be a legitimate employee benefit--or a big luxury.

A government-issued car is a nice perk--worth about $5,000 per year-- if you can get it. The problem in King County, Washington, was that some employees got it but weren't entitled to it.

The deputy director of the county and the parks and recreation director are just two of several top county employees who recently turned in sport utility and other vehicles they'd been using to drive to and from work. Some of them believed they were using the vehicles legitimately. "People who felt they were on call 24 hours a day thought they were entitled to a car," says Elaine Kraft, county spokeswoman. "The way they read the policy, they were the emergency call-out person."

But King County policy says it is the employees who respond to county business 12 times a quarter or more who are entitled to the wheels. They are folks such as the medical examiner, law enforcement officers or public works employees who must respond when there are washed out roads or broken dams. County Executive Ron Sims has asked for the policy and car use to be reviewed. "We're scrutinizing every job that has a car and what jobs really need a car," Kraft says.

Governments provide take-home cars for a number of reasons. In many cases, the vehicles allow for a quick emergency response during public safety or health crises. And when marked cars driven by law enforcement personnel are parked visibly in driveways and parking lots, it makes it seem as if the cops are everywhere watching out for crime. Of the more than 600 King County employees who take home county cars, about 450 are sheriff's deputies. "Just having the car in the driveway is a nice message to send," Kraft says.

Sometimes it is cheaper to issue a government car than to reimburse employees for using their own. That was the case when King County employees were attending endangered salmon hearings and meetings far from where they lived. It turned out to be less expensive for the county to give them a fleet car than to pay for mileage.

Apparently, the offer of a take-home car also can be a good recruiting tool. The Delray Beach, Florida, police department has 14 vacancies and is having trouble recruiting new officers even though it offers a starting salary of $31,000. The problem, says Glen Rashkind, an officer and police union representative, is that if another city matches the salary and also provides a take-home car, the choice is clear. The union continues to press the Delray Beach police chief to change its no-car policy, although all involved realize that at $32,000 per vehicle, it's also a big expense.

Lax oversight can lead to misuse of taxpayer-funded vehicles. In Kane County, Illinois, an auditor found that some employees were taking cars home weeknights and weekends without any apparent business purpose. Some were being used for personal business in a way that could subject the county to unfavorable publicity or legal liability.

But try to mess with the take-home car benefit and employees can get downright ornery. Salt Lake City council members found that out when dozens of uniformed officers stood at a council hearing in June and sharply criticized the council about being charged an extra insurance fee for their city-issued cars. The issue arose because an officer had been in an accident on her way home from work and the other driver is suing the city. During the hearing, officers called council members immoral and promised to campaign against them in next year's elections if they persisted.

Meanwhile, King County is trying to sort out who should have a car. Many employees have them under collective-bargaining agreements, and the county will review those agreements. In question are the various employees who may have been given a car even though it was not required for their jobs, and who mostly use it to get to and from work.

Although department heads technically are on call, they almost certainly would not be the ones to respond 12 times a quarter. The county's goal is to meet public safety needs while being cost effective, Kraft says. "Our number one concern is getting people out to fix things. If there is a need, we need our people to respond immediately."

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