CROWN POINT, IN -- Lake County commissioners are considering reducing the size of the county’s fleet to cut government expenses, according to Northwest Indiana newspaper The Times. However, the cost of buying, fueling and maintaining the fleet is an unknown to the county at this point. Commissioners admit they aren't even sure how many cars they have or how many have access to the county's gasoline supply. "We have a committee looking into carpooling or having a fleet manager controlling everything,” said Commissioner Gerry Scheub, D-2nd, as quoted by The Times. “We haven't had control of it before because everybody is protective of these perks. But we are going to come down with firm rules for everybody to follow." Unlike schools, there is not a transportation department or policy governing the county fleet. A master index assembled a couple of years ago by the county's insurance department shows 550 vehicles. Scheub said many of those cars probably were removed from service as too old, sold at auction and never struck from the list. County Councilman Larry Blanchard, R-Crown Point, said he supports the idea of a motor pool for departments unrelated to public safety, like the sheriff’s department. He wants to curtail the practice of giving away take-home cars, a popular perk that saves county officials and employees from the rising cost of gasoline and repairs.
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