Use of County-Owned Vehicles Policy, Board of Commissioners, Calhoun County, Michigan (MI)

Board of Commissioners

CALHOUN COUNTY
BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
POLICY STATEMENT

SUBJECT	DATE APPROVED:	EFFECTIVE: 11/26/06	POLICY NO. 415
Use of County-Owned Vehicles	11/16/2006	REPLACES:
		415 of 11/21/88

STATEMENT OF PURPOSE: Calhoun County operates a fleet of vehicles and equipment. This includes automobiles, pick-up trucks, SUV’s, vans, ATV’s and other fleet vehicles. County vehicles are available for official County business by authorized County employees. The proper utilization of County vehicles minimizes County transportation costs and liability, and helps ensure the safeguarding of County personnel and resources. This policy seeks to provide for the safe operation of motor vehicles as well as their appropriate stewardship.

AUTHORITY: This policy is authorized by the Calhoun County Board of Commissioners. Changes to this policy will be made and approved by the Board of Commissioners based on changes in business practice.

RESPONSIBILITY: The Office of the County Administrator/Controller will be responsible for the implementation of administrative terms or procedures for the enforcement of this policy.

POLICY: Calhoun County employees may be authorized to operate County vehicles for the purpose of conducting County business, provided they are at least 18 years old, have an appropriate and valid Michigan drivers license for the vehicle being driven, have reasonable experience driving the type of vehicle being used, and could reasonably be expected to operate the vehicle in a safe and prudent manner.

County employees who are authorized to operate County vehicles for the purpose of conducting County business must operate the vehicle in compliance with Michigan law and the Calhoun County Owned Vehicle Use Policy. Individual departments may impose additional standards, restrictions, or driver education or training requirements. This Vehicle Use Policy is in addition to any requirements, standards, operating restrictions, or suspensions imposed by law.

Authorization for Use

County owned vehicles shall be used only for official County business by authorized County officials and employees.

The department head, elected or appointed official shall be responsible for issuing the authorization to their staff for the operation of County owned vehicles. Department heads, elected or appointed officials shall provide County Administration with a list of those employees authorized to operate County vehicles by January 1st each year. As a condition to receive such authorization, employees must possess a valid Michigan Operators’ License, as verified by department heads, elected and appointed officials.

Vehicle Assignments

The number of vehicles shall be assigned to departments either through the normal budgetary process or as assigned by the County Administrator/Controller. Vehicles assigned to the various departments shall be under the control of the department head, elected and appointed officials and it is their responsibility to ensure compliance with this policy.

Use of Vehicle

Vehicles shall be used for official County business only. While a County vehicle is in the possession of an authorized driver, that individual is fully responsible for the safety of the vehicle, including the safety of the passengers. All operators and passengers of County vehicles shall wear seatbelts. Departments transporting infants and children ages four and under shall properly use the correct child safety seat for the age and size of the child.

The principle driver of the vehicle shall be responsible to assure the vehicle is kept clean and properly serviced. Drivers should report any vehicle malfunctions to their supervisor for corrective action.

Drivers who are authorized to operate County vehicles are required to access the fleet fueling contracts approved by the Board of Commissioners when refueling. The Department heads, elected or appointed official should contact the Administrative Services Department in order to receive fleet fueling information and program setup for drivers.

The authorized driver is required to obey all state and federal traffic laws pertaining to the safe operation of a vehicle. Unless otherwise determined by law, the driver is personally liable for any traffic or parking violations received in the operation of the County vehicle.

Personal Use Vehicles

Only personnel approved by the County Administrator/Controller shall be allowed to take vehicles home at the end of their normal work shifts. In such case, the vehicle shall be used only for official County business and not for the transportation of family, friends, etc., unless specifically approved otherwise by the County Administrator/Controller. No employee residing outside of the County shall be allowed under any circumstances to take a County vehicle home regardless of the foregoing. Departments heads, elected and appointed officials will be required to provide a list of those employees in their departments who are authorized to take vehicles home at the end of their normal work shifts to the County Administrator/Controller on an annual basis.

According to the Internal Revenue Service guidelines; if an employer provides an employee with a vehicle that is available to the employee for personal use, the value of the personal use must generally be included in the employee’s income and wages (IRS Code § 61; Treas. Reg. § 1.61-21). An employee’s personal use of a County vehicle is considered a taxable noncash fringe benefit by the IRS and thus is subject to employment taxes and must be reported on the employee’s Form W-2, Wage and Tax Statement.

Enforcement Officer Vehicle Use

Clearly marked public safety vehicles and unmarked vehicles used by law enforcement officers (if the use is officially authorized by the Office of the Sheriff), are considered qualified nonpersonal-use vehicles by the IRS and are excluded from this requirement.

The Office of the Sheriff has the authority to designate vehicles and enforcement officers for this purpose and approval of the County Administrator/Controller is not required under this policy. The Office of the Sheriff is requested to report annually to the County Administrator/Controller a list of those officers authorized by the Sheriff to take County vehicles home.

With the exception of enforcement officers and those employees or positions authorized by the County Administrator/Controller to take vehicles home, all other vehicles shall be parked in designated County parking areas at the end of the work day or work assignment. Departments shall establish reasonable rules and regulations regarding the designation of official work stations provided that the entire Battle Creek area shall be designated as one official work station, the Marshall area shall be designated as one official work station, and the Albion area shall be designated as one official work station for the purposes of establishing a point of origin for each work day. No County employee may take home a County vehicle when the use of such vehicle the next day will be within the area designated for parking County vehicles.

No employee shall operate a County vehicle when that employee’s ability to operate such a vehicle is chemically impaired. No alcoholic beverages, illegal drugs, controlled substances or prescription drugs that could impair someone’s driving ability are to be used or consumed by the driver of County owned, leased, or rented vehicles, including personal vehicles while being used on County business. Any violation of this section shall be promptly reported to the County Administrator/Controller and will result in suspension of use of County owned vehicles and/or possible termination. The suspended use may not be restored except by written approval of the County Administrator/Controller.

When an employee uses a personal vehicle for County business, the employee's personal auto insurance is the primary insurer for liability and Calhoun County insurance acts as secondary insurer for excess liability up to the County’s policy limit of liability per occurrence. The County does not provide any protection for physical damage losses to vehicles not owned by the County. If an employee is involved in an accident with their own vehicle, the County will not pay their deductible or any portion of the collision or comprehensive vehicle loss. Reporting of Accidents

All accidents, regardless of degree of damage or fault of operator, involving County owned vehicles, shall be reported immediately to the nearest police agency and shall be reported as soon as possible to the County Administrator/Controller’s office. A copy of the accident report and an insurance claim/incident report shall be transmitted by the driver of the vehicle to the County Administrator/Controller’s office, as well as to the department head, elected or appointed official for which the employee is employed.

Failure to report any accident within fourteen calendar days may result in suspension of use of County owned vehicles and/or termination of employment. The County Administrator /Controller’s office is charged by the Board of Commissioners to maintain a record of all County vehicles. Within this charge, the County Administrator/Controller’s office is responsible for coordinating repairs of such vehicles involved in any accident.

Vehicle Marking

All County owned vehicles, except those used for law enforcement, shall be properly marked, as directed by the County Administrator / Controller’s office, to identify the vehicles as belonging to Calhoun County. Exceptions may be made at time of assignment.

Enforcement and Violations

The County Administrator/Controller’s office is authorized to prescribe such forms as necessary for carrying out the provisions of this policy including accident report forms, insurance claim/incident reports, operator authorizations, complaint forms, etc. Unless otherwise prohibited by law, the County Administrator/Controller may temporarily suspend the use of County owned vehicles by any County employee or official based upon good cause in writing to the department head, elected, or appointed official. Any violations of this policy shall be reported immediately to the County Administrator/Controller together with any recommendations to remedy violations. Any person who violates provisions of this policy shall be restricted from using County owned vehicles for such time as may be stipulated by the County Administrator/Controller.

SUMMARY: The operation of County vehicles exposes the County to liability and places the security of employees at risk. The proper use of County vehicles minimizes liability and helps ensure the safety of County personnel. This policy is intended to provide for the appropriate operation of County owned vehicles.

CALHOUN COUNTY
VEHICLE USE POLICY ACKNOWLEDGMENT

I have read, understand and agree to abide by the conditions and rules as stated in Calhoun County’s Vehicle Use Policy. I further understand that any violations of the Vehicle Use Policy, may result in my vehicle use privileges being revoked, disciplinary action(s) and/or legal action(s) may be initiated.

Employee Signature: ______________________________________________

Print Name: ______________________________________________

Date: ______________________________________________

Department: ______________________________________________

Supervisor Signature: ______________________________________________

Calhoun County
315 West Green Street
Marshall, MI 49068
Phone: (269) 781-0700
Fax: (269) 781-0140

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