City of Rolla Approves Take-Home Policy

ROLLA, MO - Rolla City Council members approved a resolution for take-home use of city vehicles on Oct. 5, according to The Rolla Daily News. 

City Council members unanimously approved a policy for the take-home of 43 of the city's 134-vehicle fleet, of which 35 are used for public safety and eight are for various departments.

"After evaluating the personal-use vehicle police of RMU and MoDOT, the city has also elected to adopt the Commuting Valuation Rule that calculates a taxable benefit of $3 per round trip commute," Finance Director Steffanie Rogers wrote in her presentation.

Recommended by the state audit, said Rogers, the policy includes 10 points that clearly state city business use with stops for meals that "(do) not materially increase the number of miles a vehicle is driven."

The policy also requires the bi-weekly reports of mileage, a quarterly analysis by Rogers, the requiring of employees to reveal driver's licenses, driving records, the wearing of safety belts and the revelation of any arrest or violation while driving a city-owned vehicle.

A May 2009 audit of the City of Rolla found the City did not have a written vehicle policy in place to monitor vehicle use and did not properly track fuel spend. The audit recommended "The City will adopt a formal written vehicle policy regarding the proper and allowable use of City Vehicles. The City will also implement usage logs on all city vehicles."