Mayor orders 35 of Buffalo's take-home cars parked
Remaining cars will be monitored to curb personal use, fuel consumption
One of City Hall’s most coveted perks just became more scarce.
Mayor Byron W. Brown slashed the number of take-home vehicles by 41 percent. This means that 35 of the 85 administrators, supervisors and other personnel who enjoyed the use of taxpayer-provided vehicles — not to mention city gasoline — will have to use their own cars to get to and from work each day.
And those 50 employees who still have take-home vehicles are being told they shouldn’t use the vehicles for personal travel. There will be periodic spot-checks and more stringent monitoring of how much gas is pumped into each vehicle, Brown warned.
This is the first time in at least 30 years — possibly much longer — that the number of take-home vehicles has dropped so low, veterans of City Hall say. Under Brown’s predecessor, Anthony M. Masiello, about 90 public servants were authorized to take home city-owned cars.
The new edict has prompted a chorus of grumbles in city government, and Brown is well aware that some employees are upset.
“Change is always met with some concern,” Brown said. “But we have to constantly change to improve what we’re doing.”
Of the 50 take-home cars that remain, 44 are assigned to officials in the police and fire departments. These include a dozen vehicles that union contracts mandate.
Five other take-home vehicles are assigned to employees in Public Works, and one is assigned to the Parking Enforcement Bureau.
The Buffalo News on Sunday reported on the use of take home vehicles and heightened concerns about the costs and possible misuse of these cars provided to hundreds of employees by various localities across the region.
The News filed a Freedom of Information request May 8 seeking information about taxpayer-provided takehome vehicles for Buffalo city employees. The administration released the information 56 days after the request was filed.
The mayor’s crackdown on takehome vehicles comes more than two months after the Common Council demanded a breakdown of how many take-home cars the city has in its fleet. When the administration failed to provide the list, some lawmakers threatened to use subpoena powers to obtain the information.
First Deputy Mayor Steven M. Casey, who coordinated the overhaul of take-home cars, insisted Thursday that the effort was under way long before the Council or The News began pressing for information.
Delaware Council Member Michael
J. LoCurto, who sponsored the resolution calling for the vehicle reform, praised Brown’s actions, adding that he’s pleased the mayor has vowed to continue looking for other ways to reduce city transportation expenses.
“If this is a first step, it’s a good first step,” LoCurto said. “It’s something that needed to happen with these gas prices.”
The city has earmarked $4 million for fuel costs in the fiscal year that started Tuesday, up $1.1 million from the previous year. Administration officials said gasoline pumped into takehome vehicles last year accounted for only 8 percent of the city’s overall fuel consumption. Still, Brown said that as gas costs continue to rise, the city wants to take additional steps to try to control fuel consumption. Taxpayers have had to “tighten their belts,” the mayor said.
“City government must tighten its belt as well, especially in this time of economic difficulty, by cutting our gasoline and energy consumption and deferring all nonessential travel and purchases,” Brown added.
The mayor also ordered a tightening of controls at city-owned gasoline pumps. Monitors will scrutinize the use of gas on a weekly basis as opposed to monthly. The weekly reports will include summaries of fuel use for each city vehicle.
Brown is the only elected official who has a take-home vehicle owned by the city. Comptroller Andrew A. SanFilippo and Council President David A. Franczyk opted to drive their own cars when they assumed their posts several years ago.
The mayor uses two city-owned vehicles, depending on the season. In better weather, he uses a 2006 Ford Crown Victoria that is in the Police Department’s fleet, according to documents filed Thursday with the Common Council. During the snowy season, he uses a 2008 Chevrolet Tahoe assigned to the Fire Department.
Brown made it clear Thursday that he has no intention of suspending his use of take-home vehicles, noting that his activities as mayor require him to be available after hours.
“One of the things I try to do is to be available to citizens around the clock,” the mayor said.
Brown also defended the city’s long-standing practice of having a police officer assigned to the mayor for security.
The take-home vehicles that are being eliminated will now be kept in the city’s fleet and used solely for business. Employees will have to drive their own cars to work, then pick up a city vehicle if their chores take them off site. The Police Department will lose 20 take-home vehicles, the largest reduction for a department. The Public Works Department will lose eight take-home vehicles, or 62 percent of its current take-home fleet. Public Works Commissioner Steven J. Stepniak said he decided to voluntarily give up a city-owned pickup truck that he has been using as a take-home vehicle.
“I can’t have my guys sacrifice without me sacrificing, too,” Stepniak said.
