SACRAMENTO, CA – The City of Sacramento released a report on an audit of its fleet, the key findings of which include recommendations to reduce the fleet’s size and to establish clear policies for take-home vehicle use.

The Office of the City Auditor conducted the audit and provided recommendations, and the report includes responses to those recommendations from the Department of General Services’ (DGS) Fleet Management Division.

"The audit by our City Auditor was conducted professionally and will be a useful document for our Fleet Management Division's ongoing continuous improvement efforts," Keith Leech, fleet manager for the City, told GF. "I attribute the City Auditor's recognition of our change management achievements to the strong commitment of our team to demonstrate our competitiveness while providing outstanding service to our customers. And of course our ongoing participation in Government Fleet's sponsored 100 Best Fleets Program."

According to the report, removing and not replacing vehicles in the City’s fleet driven less than 6,000 miles per year would save more than $5 million in one-time and future costs. Based on a review of 823 vehicles, the auditor found 562 vehicles were driven less than would expected during the fiscal year to meet the time and mileage replacement standards.

The City’s fleet management division responded to this recommendation, saying some of the vehicles with fewer than 6,000 miles could be specialized, or mission-critical, equipment that can’t be turned in. In addition, fleet management stated the savings identified would not be fully realized, as mileage and use would be transferred to other fleet vehicles.

Next, the report reviewed the use of 209 take-home vehicles, and that the City doesn’t have detailed criteria for assigning, and use of, those vehicles. The auditor estimates the cost of the take-home vehicles to be $820,000 annually. The fleet management division stated department heads manage take-home vehicle assignments, not fleet, although it plans to work with the City manager’s office to develop a policy.

A number of other recommendations in the report revolved around better monitoring of vehicle use. DGS stated it agreed with the recommendations, and in fact has implemented a fleet business intelligence reporting system. The City upgraded the system in 2011. DGS said it will allow the City of monitor fleet utilization and create regular reports. In addition, the upgrade also involves a fuel system interface, which allows DGS to wirelessly collect vehicle data and thereby reduce inaccurate fuel-usage reporting.