Quoted Text

Mileage fee for city car proposed
Employees would have to pay if they drive vehicle home after work
BY KATHLEEN MOORE Gazette Reporter
Reach Gazette reporter Kathleen Moore at 395-3120 or moore@dailygazette.com.

    Getting a free city car might not be so free next year.
    Schenectady City Councilman Carl Erikson has proposed that all city employees pay for their commuting miles if they get to take a city car home.
    “There was a concern that people driving them home were using them for personal use. We don’t want any abuses,” Erikson said.
    He proposed that mileage be calculated so that city offi cials know how many miles are used after work hours. Employees would pay that mileage back at the state reimbursement rate each week.
    “It doesn’t add up to a lot of money for employees unless they live far away,” Erikson said.
    He noted that employees would also no longer have to pay income tax for the car, since it would no longer be considered a benefi t by the IRS.
    But city Engineer Paul Cassillo said workers would stop taking their cars home if they have to pay mileage.
    “People won’t pay to take their cars home. You’re talking people who don’t make a lot of money, paying $10 to $15 a week. That’s $40 a month. They’ll take their own car rather than pay that,” he predicted. “If your goal is to have everyone keep their cars here, that’s probably what will happen.”
    He argued that Erikson’s plan would reduce effi ciency because employees would have to come to work to get their cars before starting their jobs.
    They would also have to clear snow off their cars on winter days after they got to work. ...............>>>>....................>>>>.....................http://www.dailygazette.net/De.....r01002&AppName=1

This is typical of the half baked solutions you get from the DEM "team". Instead of eliminating 90% of City vehicles or enforcing the residency laws we get this weak borsht. They totally refuse to cut any pork. How will this be administered on an honor system? It will cost more to oversee this than any possible savings. More rearrangement of deck chairs on the Titanic.

     The City needs new business leaders that can reverse decades of DEM fiscal incompetence. Everyone will go on cheating these new rules-if they ever get enacted.

Oh this will probably pass. What will happen though is the City will build a heated indoor garage for their fleet of City vehicles. Then a shuttle will run every ten minutes to and from the garage to City hall for all the out of City workers. That way they won't have to "brush the snow off the City cars" (this is the workers main argument?!?).

Like Benny says, no one can figure out their way off the Titanic. Instead of getting in the lifeboats, the Council decides to try to chip away at the iceberg. The ships going down folks, better get ready.

There should be no problem keeping track of mileage used for personal and mileage used for city business.

I'm sure that the city/boss/supervisor keeps a daily/weekly itinerary of each employee that is issued a city vehicle, like they do in the private sector.
I'm sure that at the end of the week, the 'overseers' of these employees have documented proof and know exactly what they did and where they conducted city business, like they do in the private sector.
I'm sure they also record the vehicle's mileage with each 'fill up' like they do in the private sector.
I'm sure they know about the devices that can record not only mileage, but the amount of time the vehicle is running. The amount of time the vehicle is running idle. And the amount of time the vehicle is off, like they do in the private sector.

The private sector does this to support and plan for future vehicle repairs, gas mileage per gallon, to keep employees honest and to secure their profit margin. The public sector could and should do the same for the same reasons.....except in stead of securing their profit margin, they would be protecting the use of taxpayer's money.......no?

They already built a new Taj Mahal Garage on Foster Avenue for $25 MILLION. Great idea in a recession. They will add a free shuttle to avoid the tiresome "cleaning of snow" from taxpayer owed vehicles. That might take 2 minutes from a busy schedule-lol. This is the new excuse for allowing commuting from Lake Luzerne?

     Coming next a "cold storage" garage by Central Park! When in doubt-BUILD! Belt tightening is for the private sector only.  You can't make this up. It's what you get with a City Council full of retired County, State and School lobs. Not a small business person in the lot. No one that every met a payroll, balanced books or signed the front of a paycheck. Then they are SHOCKED! SHOCKED! when they create a $12 MILLION deficit.

Quoted from bumblethru

There should be no problem keeping track of mileage used for personal and mileage used for city business.

I'm sure that the city/boss/supervisor keeps a daily/weekly itinerary of each employee that is issued a city vehicle, like they do in the private sector.
I'm sure that at the end of the week, the 'overseers' of these employees have documented proof and know exactly what they did and where they conducted city business, like they do in the private sector.
I'm sure they also record the vehicle's mileage with each 'fill up' like they do in the private sector.

Are you being sarcastic or serious?

Because I'd be a bit surprised to know that the city is tracking mileage on their cars every day and when filling up the tank.

Quoted from JackBauer

Are you being sarcastic or serious?

Because I'd be a bit surprised to know that the city is tracking mileage on their cars every day and when filling up the tank.

Oh I'm dead serious!! If the city government is NOT monitoring the day to day activities, including mileage, of their tax paid employees, then it is totally irresponsible!!! They were elected/appointed to collect and oversee exactly how the taxpayer's money is being spent. Anything less is an abomination and carelessness on the part of the government!

Quoted from bumblethru

Oh I'm dead serious!! If the city government is NOT monitoring the day to day activities, including mileage, of their tax paid employees, then it is totally irresponsible!!! They were elected/appointed to collect and oversee exactly how the taxpayer's money is being spent. Anything less is an abomination and carelessness on the part of the government!

Ok I would agree - I just am skeptical they are that responsible.

I wonder if Pat has FOIL'ed these records yet...

My first thought to this was to laugh...  As some people probably have just one car because their "city car" is their work car, and maybe backup personal car.

So given the choice of paying $40-$60/month for a car, including "free gas", or buying your own second car...  It's ridiculous to assume most employees will stop taking the car home.  Heck in gas alone they'd be making out if they lived far away, which some do.

It certainly is an idea worth trying.   The one complaint about that idea - as stated in the article - is that
some city workers will just leave the city car at the end of the day and drive home in their own car.  
THAT is a great thing --- because then you are cutting down on the usage of the city-owned car which saves
money .... and as the city starts noticing which cars are not really needed -- the city could then take those
cars out of service.

Quoted from DemocraticVoiceOfReason

It certainly is an idea worth trying.   The one complaint about that idea - as stated in the article - is that
some city workers will just leave the city car at the end of the day and drive home in their own car.  
THAT is a great thing --- because then you are cutting down on the usage of the city-owned car which saves
money .... and as the city starts noticing which cars are not really needed -- the city could then take those
cars out of service.

"Idea worth trying"  ?????    How about make these people live IN the city??????    WHY are those who are leaders all living OUTSIDE of the city boundaries?????????   Why?

So, if the employees are "charged" for mileage, are they also going to pay for the accounting work that would need to be done should this idiocy be allowed to continue? Cause you know there is no accounting being done now. WHat a joke.

This is ridiculous, they should drive their own cars like the rest of us do. They are moaning and groaning beause they are currently making out. And they get paid to clean the damn snow off. Please. Whining and moaning, and coming up with lame excuses.

Quoted from mikechristine1

"Idea worth trying"  ?????    How about make these people live IN the city??????    WHY are those who are leaders all living OUTSIDE of the city boundaries?????????   Why?

Because they don't WANT to live IN the city and there are no laws making them. If there is a residential law or stipulation stating that they 'must' live in the city.....it is clearly not being adhered to.

Quoted from Ididntdoit

So, if the employees are "charged" for mileage, are they also going to pay for the accounting work that would need to be done should this idiocy be allowed to continue? Cause you know there is no accounting being done now. WHat a joke.

This is ridiculous, they should drive their own cars like the rest of us do. They are moaning and groaning beause they are currently making out. And they get paid to clean the damn snow off. Please. Whining and moaning, and coming up with lame excuses.

although I'm agreeing with you, don't blame the workers.......blame those in charge!

No disrespect bumblethru, but I think they know that they are getting a deal, that is why they do it, there is a benefit for them, how could they not know this?  No one has a conscience?  

I see what you are saying, the bottom line is that it is management who is responsible. I guess I don't mean to "blame" the workers per
se but come on.

Quoted from Ididntdoit

No disrespect bumblethru, but I think they know that they are getting a deal, that is why they do it, there is a benefit for them, how could they not know this?  No one has a conscience?  

I see what you are saying, the bottom line is that it is management who is responsible. I guess I don't mean to "blame" the workers per
se but come on.

I am in total agreement with you. But these workers aren't going to give up the golden egg when it is their 'supervisors' that are handing it to them. Remember....the more golden eggs these bureaucrats hand out.....the more votes they get! At the tax payer's expense! How do you think these liberal socialists stay in office? Because they are good at governing and they are looking out for the best interest of the taxpayers?