Published: October 20, 2009 11:28 pm      

Crackdown

Calling for accountability on the use of state vehicles noble, but nothing new

Legislative auditors have issued another storm warning — this time dealing with the use, and apparent abuse, of state-owned vehicles.

An audit discovered that 90 of 494 state employees using state vehicles to commute to and from work did not report any of that use as a fringe benefit in 2008 for the purpose of tax withholding, as is required by the Internal Revenue Service.

Under-reporting by many of the 400 others was also detailed in the audit, as were glaring points which surmise that the state really has no grasp on the use and mileage being put on the fleet of vehicles, which numbers close to 7,000 and costs the state between $60 and $70 million annually, including $24 million in fuel.

The report also questions why, and if, many state employees actually need or should have use of the vehicles.

Among those 90 aforementioned officials are State Treasurer John Perdue, Agriculture Commissioner Gus Douglass and Bluefield State College President Albert Walker.

Perdue and Walker were savvy enough to tell the legislative auditors they will comply with the rules. Smart. But Douglass apparently believes he falls under the exemption for law enforcement officials.

Auditors don’t agree with Douglass’ take on this and we’re having a hard time finding any reason why the agriculture commissioner feels he is exempt. When’s the last time you saw Gus giving a cow a ticket for running a stop sign?

We actually have an inherent problem with how government vehicles are utilized by all public employees, not just the state, when it comes to private use and commuting. Looking deeper, that’s quite a perk if you ask us — especially when it’s not being properly reported.

That said, it’s kind of difficult to get a grip on the real magnitude of this issue, but, after the report was released to lawmakers last week, it quickly got the attention of the Manchin administration.

The governor held meetings with his cabinet and department heads Monday, they continued again Tuesday, and it’s clear Manchin wants accountability.

Good, but wait.

This is not the first time this issue has come to light and been the subject of controversy. During the gubernatorial tenures of both Gaston Caperton and Bob Wise, measures aimed at eliminating abuse of state vehicles were enacted.

We guess state officials, plenty who were around then and still are in some capacity, just didn’t learn or had no recollection of the problems.

Hopefully, this time, Manchin puts checks in place that will lead to effective monitoring of the fleet. If he does, millions are likely to be saved and hundreds of public employees will become compliant with the tax laws, as they well should.