(A) When economically feasible and in the best interest of the city, employees may be assigned a city vehicle which they will keep and maintain for business and personal use during the time of assignment. A full-time employee with a position that requires business driving, who holds a valid driver's license and has a good driving record as determined by the City Commission, as well as the department director, may be eligible for the assignment of a city vehicle under any of the following conditions:
(1) The employee's position requires the employee to be subject to 24-hour on call and available to the city.
(2) To prepare for a post-disaster response in order to plan an effective and efficient recovery.
(3) The employee's position must be specified by the City Commission as a position to which assignment of a city vehicle is considered part of the employee's compensation package.
(4) Duty-vehicles designed, or equipped, for high-priority response, where response time will be enhanced by allowing the vehicle to remain in custody of individual employee. Employees assigned to duty-vehicles which are taken home must be available to respond upon request on a 24-hour basis any time the employee has custody of the vehicle.
(B) An employee assigned a city vehicle on a permanent basis is subject to the following requirements:
(1) Commuter rule. Unless specifically exempted by federal regulations, take-home city vehicles shall be a taxable benefit. Employees who drive city-owned vehicles to and from work shall be credited with additional gross income for tax purposes in the amount of $1.50 per day for each day the vehicle is driven to work and $1.50 per day for each day the vehicle is driven from work. For example: an employee who drives a city-owned vehicle to and from work ten times during the biweekly pay period shall be credited with an additional income of $30 for tax purposes for the pay period. Personal use other than commuting is prohibited and grounds for discipline up to, and including, termination. Employees who drive qualified non-personal-use vehicles (For example: marked police vehicles) are exempt from the taxable benefit under the federal regulations; however, personal use for travel outside of the officer's jurisdiction is prohibited and grounds for disciplinary action.
(2) Gas expense. An employee shall submit receipts for refueling assigned vehicles in accordance with the Employee Expense Reports and Reimbursement Policy in § 37.106 of this chapter.
(3) Maintenance, inspection and repairs. The employee is responsible for ensuring that routine maintenance on the vehicle, as specified in the owner's manual, and as the city may specify in writing, is performed at the intervals specified in such documents. Scheduled maintenance should include at a minimum: oil change, check fluid levels, check tire condition, and check all lights and warning devices. All maintenance should be documented and each vehicle in the fleet should have a separate file to store all maintenance records. Service, other than routine maintenance, must be performed at the service center as directed by the city. Information on the service center can be obtained from the City Clerk.
(4) The city will arrange for license plates, registration certificates, and insurance cards. The city pays local property taxes. The employee should not receive a tax bill.
(5) An assigned vehicle shall be turned in no later than the last day of employment. A terminated employee shall not continue use of the assigned vehicle under any circumstances.
(C) In operating an assigned-city vehicle:
(1) The employee shall not permit, or give permission for, any other person to drive the city vehicle, other than as outlined in the Vehicle Use Policy in § 37.082 of this chapter.
(2) The employee shall follow the Vehicle Use Policy as set forth in § 37.082 of this chapter.
(3) The employee shall report accidents in accordance with the Vehicle Accident Reporting Policy in § 37.085 of this chapter.
(4) City vehicles taken home overnight shall be locked and secured in the responsible employee's driveway or other designated parking space which is near the employee's residence.
(D) Vehicles in the city's car fleet will be replaced at the city's discretion. In addition, the city may, at its discretion, revoke a vehicle assignment, at any time, or otherwise change the position, or work requirements of the employee.
(Ord. 5-11-2023-A, passed 6-8-2023)