Jury Urges Study on 24-Hour Use of County Vehicles

The Orange County Grand Jury, concerned about the number of county employees who drive county cars home at night, has recommended that the practice be closely monitored and, where possible, eliminated to save money and reduce liability.

More than 100 county employees use county cars, vans or pickup trucks to commute on a daily basis, according to a grand jury report released this week. About 12 of those employees live in Los Angeles or Riverside counties, and at least one employee makes a daily 100-mile round trip in a county vehicle. The report said the practice costs the county about $250,000 a year, too much considering the county’s current budget troubles.

James O. Lindberg, the grand jury foreman, said that although some use of county vehicles for personal commuting may be in the county’s best interest, “it appears that, with county budgets so tight, considerable savings are possible by limiting the use of county vehicles.”

Orange County has a fleet of 1,300 vehicles operated by its 13,000 full-time employees. About 100 of the vehicles are assigned to employees on a 24-hour basis, 61 to Environmental Management Agency employees and 40 to Fire Department employees.

Many of those who drive their vehicles home are top fire officials, public works employees and building inspectors who must respond to emergencies or drive from their homes directly to construction sites.

But the grand jury said county officials have made no attempt to assign employees with take-home vehicles to jobs near their residences to reduce driving distances and wear and tear on county cars.

Bill B. Wills, foreman pro tem of the grand jury who coordinated the vehicle review, said the county should consider establishing a maximum commute distance for those who drive county cars home. He also recommended that the county prohibit any of its vehicles from being taken outside the county except on official business. And he urged that the county establish an annual review of which employees have take-home privileges for county vehicles.

“We believe that management in various county departments needs to take a serious look at whether this practice is in the best interest of the taxpayer,” Wills said. “It has been handled rather loosely, and that is of some concern to us.”

A county spokesman said the grand jury’s report will be studied and the recommended action taken under consideration.