3 counties tighten vehicle rules

Misuse of credit cards and county-owned vehicles by employees will be unlikely if not impossible under new guidelines adopted by three Wasatch Front counties.

Davis, Weber and Utah counties have apparently taken to heart lessons from so-called "guzzlegate" in Salt Lake County. High-ranking county employees were routinely using county cars for personal use, sometimes for vacations. The county auditor purchased more than $10,000 worth of county gas allegedly used in a private vehicle.

Although those acts were apparent willful violations of fleet use guidelines in Salt Lake County, Davis, Weber and Utah counties are removing any temptation for misuse or chance of oversight.

In Davis County, only Sheriff Bud Cox drives a county-owned car, and that's because of the radio and other equipment installed in it, said Commission Chairman Dannie McConkie.

In Utah County, gas cards are issued for county vehicle use. Sheriff's patrol officers are the only county employees allowed to take vehicles home at night. All others are to be used only during the work day, said Clyde Naylor, Utah county public works director.

"The only elected official who uses a county vehicle is the sheriff," he said.

In Weber County, officials have quit buying vehicles for non-sheriff's office employees and are leasing them in an effort to save money, County Commissioner Glen Burton said. The county continues to buy sheriff's vehicles, but so far that is a good investment, he said.

"Oddly enough, our public safety fleet sells out first because smaller communities find it is cheaper for them to buy our 2-year-old cars that are already equipped with police equipment," Burton said.

Gary Laird, director of operations for Weber County, said he and other officials are reviewing the county policy on buying cars. He said he expects to recommend they buy fewer cars and return to reimbursing county employees for their mileage. The county has about 150 cars for its public safety employees and another 40 for other employees.

In recent months, Weber County discovered a problem with the sale of its used cars. The man who contracted with the county to sell them was arraigned in 2nd District Court Friday on fraud charges, stemming from $160,000 in missing funds.

Burton said the county has tightened up its control over car sales. "You can't get comfortable even though someone has performed in the past. You have to make sure you don't release the title until you get a check. Overall, our program has worked well over the years except for that little glitch. We'll have to make sure we get it back that way."