Montgomery County officials are expanding their examination of employee take-home vehicles to include all county agencies. The County Council’s Transportation, Infrastructure, Energy and Environment Committee sent an inquiry to Montgomery College, Montgomery County Public Schools, Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, the Housing Opportunities Commission and the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission seeking information about each agency’s take-home cars.
Each agency will need to justify to the council why take-home cars are necessary, said Councilman Roger Berliner, D-Bethesda and chairman of the committee leading the charge.
Among the questions the council members want answered are what criteria are used to determine take-home assignments, how often each agency reviews the assignment and whether after-hours use is monitored.
The inquiry follows pressure put on the county’s executive branch to reduce the number of take-home cars given to county employees.
“There should be a very strong bias against take-home vehicles and a high bar to justify one,” said Councilman Hans Riemer, D-at large, a member of the committee who initially led the examination of the county’s take-home car practices.
Park and Planning recently completed its own internal audit of take-home vehicles. However, Executive Director Patricia Barney could not provide the audit or reveal how many agency-owned vehicles employees are allowed to take home by Thursday evening.
In 2007 — the last time Park and Planning reported the information to the County Council — 32 agency employees were authorized to use take-home vehicles, in addition to 53 vehicles driven by Park Police officers.
WSSC spokesman Jim Neustadt also refused to release the information before it is sent to the council. In 2008 — the last time WSSC reported the information — eight employees had take-home vehicle privileges.
At MCPS, about 30 staff members have take-home vehicles, according to spokesman Chris Cram. Among the 30 are bus depot managers, the directors and assistant directors of transportation and security, and facilities management supervisors and directors.
HOC, which receives less than 4 percent of its operating budget from the county, has four take-home vehicles: two 2011 Ford Rangers, a 2011 Ford 250 and a 2008 Ford 250, according to spokeswoman Tedi Osias. The vehicles are used by the on-call property maintenance staff and are not funded by the county.
Montgomery College does not issue take-home vehicles, said spokeswoman Elizabeth Homan.
The county’s take-home vehicle count drastically outnumbers those of the agencies.
Montgomery pays for 359 take-home cars — including 259 for unionized employees and 96 for unionized managers — in addition to 1,371 vehicles used by firefighters and police officers.
The vehicles are scheduled to be discussed at a Sept. 19 council meeting.
