Governor Rell: Governor Rell: Cut State Fleet by 20 Percent Reduce Future Costs of State Cars

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	STATE OF CONNECTICUT EXECUTIVE CHAMBERS HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT 06106
M. Jodi Rell Governor

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 9, 2009

Contact:
860-524-7313

Governor Rell: Cut State Fleet by 20 Percent,

Reduce Future Costs of State Cars

Governor M. Jodi Rell today announced she has issued an Executive Order cutting the state’s fleet of cars and trucks by 20 percent, imposing much stricter rules on when and why state employees can use a state-owned vehicle and taking cars away from most state agency commissioners and any employee who speeds or drives recklessly.

Governor Rell’s order targets one of the most frequent suggestions offered on her budget ideas Web site. Hundreds of people have recommended that the state reduce the number of cars it owns and limit the number of employees allowed to use them.

Executive Order No. 22 gives the Department of Administrative Services (DAS) final authority over buying and maintaining all state vehicles except the specialized vehicles needed by the Department of Transportation. The current, decentralized system of allowing agencies to have their own fleets has resulted in inefficiency, waste and inappropriate use of cars, the Governor said.

In addition, any official or employee who has been the subject of two or more complaints involving the vehicle or has received two or more moving violations in a six-month period could lose the right to a state car for one year.

“So many people have written me about this issue, expressing frustration about the number of state cars and trucks on the road and the way they are driven,” Governor Rell said. “Right now there are more than 4,300 cars and trucks in the state fleet. That number must come down. Too many agencies don’t even know how many cars they own or where they are. We are going to put an end to that. And anyone who abuses the right to drive a state car is going to lose that right.

“Where agencies can share cars, they will,” the Governor said. “And if a state car is not really needed – and by really needed, I mean needed on a full-time basis – we will eliminate it. Commissioners – except for law enforcement officials – will no longer have state cars. And only state employees who drive 700 miles or more a month will get state cars. It is cheaper to reimburse other employees for mileage on their own cars.”

In the order, Governor Rell also directs the DAS Commissioner to revise its policies for state vehicles, including sharply reducing the circumstances when an official or employee is allowed to keep a state car or truck at home.

Under the Governor’s order, DAS must complete an audit of all state-owned cars and light trucks – including those owned by higher education institutions such as the University of Connecticut and the four Connecticut State University campuses – by July 1 and will cut the fleet by 20 percent.

“Agency heads will need to make a powerful case for every car they want,” Governor Rell said. “The people of our state have a right to know those vehicles are being used in the most economical way possible.”

The Governor is directing DAS to take a range of other steps to economize and reduce the costs of state vehicle operations, including:

Any car or light truck purchased by DAS after January 1 must be classified by the U.S. EPA as “best in its class” for gasoline mileage unless DAS determines the vehicle is not available or is too expensive
After March 1, DAS will only approve an agency vehicle request after determining it would be less expensive than reimbursing the official or employee for mileage on his or her personal vehicle
By October 1, DAS (in conjunction with the Department of Public Works) must set up inter-agency motor pools, replacing independent agency fleets

The Executive Order is attached below:

STATE of CONNECTICUT

BY HER EXCELLENCY

M. JODI RELL

GOVERNOR

Executive Order No. 22

WHEREAS, The State of Connecticut DAS Fleet Services currently owns more than 4,300 passenger cars and light-duty trucks that are used by state officials and employees in carrying out their official duties; and

WHEREAS, the people of Connecticut have a right to expect that the use of such vehicles will be strictly limited to the necessary performance of official business, and that such use will be carefully monitored; and

WHEREAS, efficient vehicle utilization requires that such vehicles be used when it is less costly to use a state vehicle than it would be to reimburse employees for mileage traveled in their personal vehicles or when specialized circumstances (such as particular equipment needs or risk management concerns) dictate the use of a state vehicle; and

WHEREAS, the current economic crisis and the resulting budgetary shortfall necessitate that we eliminate all expenses associated with excessive, unnecessary and improper use of state vehicles and that the State effectively and prudently manage the use of these vehicles in accordance with best business practices; and

WHEREAS, the most efficient way to ensure that these policies are consistently applied is for authority for all state-owned passenger cars and light-duty trucks to be consolidated in one agency, which shall have final authority over purchasing, leasing, and maintaining the state’s passenger car and light-duty truck fleet;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, M. Jodi Rell, Governor of the State of Connecticut, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and Statutes of the State of Connecticut, do hereby ORDER and DIRECT:

1. On and after February 1, 2009, the Commissioner of the Department of Administrative Services shall have final authority over the purchasing, leasing, and maintaining of all passenger cars and light-duty trucks owned by the State of Connecticut, and ensuring that the use of such vehicles by state officials and employees is in accordance with statutory requirements and the standards imposed by this executive order, provided that the Department of Transportation may own and maintain vehicles necessary to the performance of its statutory functions and the Department of Public Safety may maintain vehicles necessary to the performance of its statutory functions , as jointly determined by the Commissioners of said departments and the Commissioner of Administrative Services.

2. On and after February 1, 2009, only the Commissioners of the Departments of Administrative Services and Transportation may purchase passenger cars and light-duty trucks on behalf of the State of Connecticut, including the purchase of passenger cars and light-duty trucks for the constituent units of higher education.

3. The Commissioner of Administrative Services shall establish A) a procedure for agencies to request access to state-owned passenger cars and light-duty trucks; B) standards for use of state-owned vehicles; C) criteria for permitting home-garaging of such vehicles; and D) requirements for maintenance of vehicle use and mileage logs.

4. Each agency that currently leases state-owned vehicles from the Department of Administrative Services shall, by March 1, 2009, submit a re-authorization request to the Department of Administrative Services for each such vehicle, which request shall include A) the make, model and production year of the vehicle; B) the assigned driver or drivers of the vehicle; C) the average monthly mileage for the vehicle over the last year; D) the justification for leasing the vehicle; E) whether the vehicle is a pool vehicle; F) whether the employee to whom the vehicle is assigned has a contractual right to use such vehicle; and, G) if the vehicle is to be home-garaged, the justification for home-garaging.

5. By April 15, 2009, and on an annual basis thereafter, the Commissioner of Administrative Services shall complete an audit of all state-owned passenger cars and light-duty trucks that are home-garaged and shall determine which such vehicles may continue to be home-garaged.

6. On or after February 1, 2009, the Commissioner of Administrative Services, with the assistance of the Chief Information Officer, shall conduct a study of the feasibility of using global positioning systems in the state’s passenger car and light-duty truck fleet. The study shall address the cost of equipping each such vehicle with a global positioning system (GPS) tracking device, the effectiveness of such devices, the benefit to the state that would be realized by using such devices, how the state could best implement a procedure for auditing the GPS records of a specified percentage of such vehicles equipped with GPS tracking devices each month to verify that the vehicles have been used for official state business and the possible impact of using such devices upon collective bargaining agreements. The Commissioner shall report the results of this study to the Governor on or before October 1, 2009.

7. Each passenger car and light-duty truck purchased by the Commissioner of Administrative Services on or after January 1, 2009 shall have a United States Environmental Protection Agency estimated highway gasoline mileage that is best in its class as determined by the Environmental Protection Agency unless the Commissioner determines that the vehicles required by the provisions of this Executive Order are not available for purchase or lease or that the purchase or lease of such vehicles is not fiscally prudent. The Commissioner shall use best efforts to maximize the percentage of alternative-fueled vehicles in the state motor vehicle fleet pursuant to requirements set forth in 10 CFR 490.

8. For state-owned passenger cars and light-duty trucks that are not assigned to individual state officials or employees on a long-term basis, by October 1, 2009, the Commissioner of Administrative Services, with the assistance of the Commissioner of Public Works, shall establish such appropriate locations and administrative procedures necessary to create interagency car pools where geographically feasible, which shall allow the vehicles to be utilized on a short-term or daily basis by officials and employees of specified state agencies for official business, in accordance with the policies and procedures established by the Commissioner of Administrative Services. Such interagency car pools shall replace current agency pools.

9. On and after March 1, 2009 the Commissioner of Administrative Services shall only approve a request to acquire a state-owned passenger car or light-duty truck if the Commissioner determines that it will be less costly to use a state vehicle than it would be to reimburse the state official or employee for mileage traveled in his or her personal vehicle or if the agency can demonstrate that specialized circumstances (such as particular equipment needs or risk management concerns) dictate the acquisition of a state vehicle.

10. By March 1, 2009, the Commissioner of Administrative Services shall update the state policy for use of state vehicles as contained in General Letter 115 to provide that no vehicle will be assigned to an individual on a long-term basis unless the vehicle will be driven at least an average of seven hundred miles per month, unless the vehicle is to be used for casework visits within one region by employees of the Department of Children and Families, the Department of Social Services, the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, or the Department of Developmental Services, and that any state official or employee to whom a state-owned vehicle has been assigned on a long-term basis who has been the subject of two or more complaints involving the use of such vehicle in a six-month period or who has received two or more moving violations while driving such state-owned vehicle in a six-month period may forfeit the privilege of using a state-owned vehicle for one year.

11. By July 1, 2009, the Commissioner of Administrative Services, with the assistance of the constituent units of higher education, shall conduct an inventory of all vehicles, including but not limited to passenger cars and light-duty trucks, owned by the constituent units of higher education.

12. The Commissioner of Administrative Services shall take such other steps as may be necessary to achieve a twenty percent reduction in the state fleet, not including vehicles utilized by law enforcement personnel, by July 1, 2009.

This order shall take effect immediately.

Dated at Hartford this 9th day of January 2009.

M. Jodi Rell

Governor

By Her Excellency’s Command:

Susan Bysiewicz

Secretary of the State

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Content Last Modified on 1/12/2009 3:48:45 PM

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