A report from the West Virginia Legislature’s Post Audit Division concluded that 42.4% of the fleet vehicles with available mileage data did not meet the fleet’s minimum utilization requirement.

The audit is part of an ongoing examination into the state fleet. In February, the Post Audit Division concluded that the state’s minimum utilization requirement – 1,100 miles per month and 13,200 miles annually – was the highest of 10 states reviewed. However, the Department of Administration was unable to provide how or why this number was set.

At the time of the examination, the Post Audit Division requested utilization data for calendar-year 2016. But the Fleet Management Office only had odometer data collected through the state’s fuel vendor, and not all agencies are required to utilize the fuel contract, so it only had data for approximately 50% of state vehicles.

In addition, this data was mostly used to track fuel usage and cost and check against fuel theft; the agency did not use the data to calculate utilization. The Post Audit Division found that 42.4% of the vehicles with usable mileage data, or 1,531 vehicles, did not meet the minimum utilization requirement and only 10 vehicles were granted an exemption from the minimum utilization for the 2016 calendar year.

According to the report, a representative from the Fleet Management Office said the agency began collecting more mileage data beginning September 2016, and the Legislative Auditor is currently conducting a similar utilization analysis on data collected between October 2016 and March 2017.

In August 2016, the Post Audit Division failed to identify the number of vehicles in the state fleet. In the time since, Governor Jim Justice has vowed to examine state spending, making cuts to his own fleet and encouraging state agencies to do the same.

Click here to read the full audit.