BIRMINGHAM, AL — One week after a Birmingham city car was falsely reported stolen, the City Council has taken action against the employee who allegedly filed the report, according to TV station NBC13.com. The city-owned Ford Crown Victoria was reported stolen on June 28 by a courier for the city. The police recovered it the next day with an intoxicated man at the wheel. The man reportedly told police the car was given to him by the city courier. A city investigation determined that the car was not stolen, and the City Council responded by not only firing the courier, but also questioning the practice of loaning the 400 cars now available to city employees, according to NBC13.com. In April, the Birmingham City Council discussed keeping city-owned cars for the staff or doing away with the entire fleet. Some on the council wanted the vehicles to remain accessible to aides who attend neighborhood meetings and other functions. Others wanted aides to use personal vehicles and submit a travel expense voucher to the city for mileage reimbursement. The issue came up during budget discussions when accountability for the cars was questioned. Councilwoman Valerie Abbott said she became alarmed after seeing a car assigned to a council assistant at an event that was not city-related. According to the council's Standard Operating Procedure Employee Handbook, the "use of city automobiles is limited to city business."