Mayor wants to cut take-home vehicles for Rochester employees

Brian Sharp • Staff writer • July 22, 2008 Mayor Robert Duffy turned in his city-issued Chevy Trailblazer on Monday and said he plans to cut the remaining fleet of employee take-home vehicles by up to 90 percent. Most of the 177 take-home cars and SUVs are assigned to police, and nearly all are tied up in labor agreements as employee benefits. Duffy has set a Sept. 8 deadline to finalize a plan for making the cuts. In some cases, city workers will have to drive their own cars and be reimbursed for mileage, as Duffy will do. He is now paying out of pocket to lease and insure his own SUV, saving the city at least 5.5 cents per mile. Other options are to expand vehicle pools for employee use while on the job or to give workers a vehicle allowance. City officials don't know how many cars will be sidelined or sold at auction, so... [read full story]