NEWTON, MA - City of Newton, Mass., Mayor Setti Warren is looking to reduce the number of taxpayer-funded cars starting January 1, a promise he made during his mayoral campaign, according to the Newton TAB.

The city currently has 63 cars in its fleet approved for travel home with city workers. Of those 63 vehicles, nine of their drivers have already been informed that they will no longer be authorized to use a city vehicle to drive home.

Chief Operating Officer Robert Rooney said on average, per year, taxpayers pay about $50,000 for the fuel and maintenance of those 63 take-home vehicles.

Twenty of those will remain authorized to take home, regardless of contract negotiations. Another 34 will be eliminated subject to collective bargaining, said Rooney.

Already, the city has saved $45,000 after eliminating two vehicles, according to the news source.

The rest of the fleet is a 350-vehicle mixture of bucket trucks, dump trucks, utility vehicles, vans and police cruisers used within the city, said Rooney.

According to Ron Mahan, superintendent of equipment, citywide, with exception of the Fire Department, the budget for the entire fleet maintenance is roughly $1.8 million.

Gas for all vehicles per year, including take-home cars and regular city maintenance vehicles, is $443,941 for regular gasoline and $311,675 for diesel, depending on weather, according to Mahan.

Mahan said eliminating the take-home fleet wouldn't make a noticeable difference in the city budget.