If the state wants to reduce the almost half-million-dollar deficit in its fleet operations, vehicles need to be better utilized, problems more clearly reported and resale value maintained.

Overall, the state Division of Fleet Operations has improved its fleet efficiency and reduced costs in recent years, according to a new audit by the legislative auditor general. Improvements are still possible, however, and important because of the lingering division deficit.

Almost $300,000 of the $490,000 deficit will be made up this year because of an increase in the rates the division charges state agencies to use cars in the daily pool. That will not, however, be enough to eliminate it; reducing the number of vehicles is probably required for that, according to the audit.

Part of the problem is, at current rates, the vehicles would have to be used 100 percent of the time, while the division has only set a 75 percent goal. And in reality, the vehicles in the daily pool are used only 60 percent of the time, a number that might decline even further if the division increases rates further to help make up the deficit.

The division, which has been taking inventory of its vehicles in recent years, has actually reduced the fleet to 123 from about 250, which has improved the utilization of those existing vehicles, said Steve Saltzgiver, director of the Division of Fleet Operations.

Saltzgiver agreed with most of the recommendations and said that the audit in many ways verifies that the methods being used to improve fleet operations are working.

"We're a young agency in terms of state government, and many of these recommendations we concur with," he said. "We are working to implement them."

Other problems highlighted within the audit are with those vehicles that are allotted to state employees as "take-home vehicles." Typically, those are employees who are on-call, such as highway patrol troopers, those who work at home or from the vehicle 60 percent of the time or who drive directly to work sites outside of the main office. There are also a number of agency directors given vehicles as part of their compensation package.

There is not "accurate and complete data" for the take-home program, the audit found, which can lead to mismanagement of those vehicles.

"DFO should take steps to periodically review the accuracy of take-home vehicles," the audit report states. "Because take-home vehicles pose high risks for inappropriate use, DFO should monitor them annually."

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E-mail: jloftin@desnews.com