CHATTANOOGA, TN - Under a recent mayoral executive order, any City of Chattanooga employee who uses a city car for take-home purposes must now pay $50 every two weeks as a "temporary cost-saving measure," according to the Chattanooga Times Free Press. The city currently has approximately 400 take-home cars in its fleet.

Mayor Ron Littlefield said the reason for the change was because city officials found the take-home program was costing the city almost $1.4 million annually in fuel, maintenance, and car replacement, reported the Press. Littlefield said the program takes effect immediately, and the amount will be deducted from employees' checks beginning Oct. 8.

Littlefield also said the city's financial department first talked of parking the fleet altogether as a cost-saving measure, reported the Press.

While many Chattanooga Police officers have already asked the City Council to overrule Mayor Ron Littlefield's executive order on take-home cars, doing so would leave the City looking for other areas to cut, reported the Chattanoogan.com.