March 4, 2008

Council Report

County to seek savings through vehicle audit

By Supervisor Ken Yeager
Special to the Times

With the state’s budget forecast looking bleak, I have been working to find ways for Santa Clara County to tighten its belt. Recently, I have been looking at the county’s Fleet and Facilities Department to see if we can save money by auditing employee vehicle use, examining a mileage reimbursement program rather than giving county cars to on-call employees and purchasing vehicles and supplies from local companies.

At the Feb. 26 Board of Supervisors meeting, my fellow supervisors agreed that it was time to start a full audit of the Fleet and Facilities Department’s Fleet Services Division to save as much money as possible for vital safety net services. The division oversees the county’s fleet of vehicles used by employees in all departments, from deputy sheriffs patrolling unincorporated areas to administrators attending meetings all over the Bay Area.

During the 2006-2007 fiscal year, Santa Clara County spent more than $16.6 million on vehicle costs. Some county employees are on call 24 hours a day and are given a county-owned vehicle so they can respond on site to job-related requests at any time.

Because these expenses add up, I requested that the county perform an audit of employee vehicle use to see how we can save money that is desperately needed for other programs. I am happy to report that the Board of Supervisors approved my request, and auditors will begin looking for ways to save money within the Fleet and Facilities Department.

I asked that the audit look into whether the county can save money through a mileage reimbursement program. Instead of using a county vehicle to perform job-related duties, employees would drive their own vehicles and the county would pay them for the mileage. Many private corporations have adopted this approach because it gives employees the freedom to do their jobs without overcompensating for 24-hour vehicle use. The audit will examine how much the county could save by implementing a program like this.

The county currently purchases many of its vehicles from vendors outside its boundaries. I have asked that the audit look into how the county can buy more vehicles from local vendors so the taxes and revenue support local governments and businesses.

The county’s Procurement Department, which purchases and leases resources such as vehicles and offices, has made tremendous efforts over the past several years to reach out to more local businesses and try to encourage them to bid for our contracts. Recently, the department has been working closely with local Chambers of Commerce to make them aware of how easy it is to monitor our bids and to participate in the process of responding to proposals on contracts.

However, I see room for improvement, and I am currently working to change the county’s policy so that more preference will be given to local businesses when the county is purchasing goods and services. If your business is interested in bidding on any items, please check out www.rfpdepot.com or call the county’s Procurement Department at (408) 491-7400.

The Fleet Services Division of the county’s Facilities and Fleet Department was last audited in 1981, and much has changed since then. The county’s fleet has grown to about 2,500 vehicles, and gas prices have soared to more than $3 a gallon.

In addition to saving money, the audit can help the county reduce its carbon footprint and preserve the environment. By making our fleet more efficient, our county can do its part to conserve natural resources.

As always, I encourage you to contact my office if you have any concerns. You can reach me at (408) 299-5040 or via e-mail at Ken.Yeager@bos.sccgov.org.