MONMOUTH COUNTY, NJ — The 25 cars Monmouth County officials have vowed to remove from the county’s “take-home” fleet of 269 represent the first step in a broader effort to review and possibly reduce the inventory of county-owned vehicles, according to the Asbury Park Press. On Aug. 11, the Board of Freeholders directed County Administrator Louis Paparozzi to prepare a list of 25 county cars that could be removed from the current inventory of 269 take-home cars. The county covers the cost of gas, insurance, and maintenance for the cars. Employees are prohibited from using them for personal business. Those first 25 will not be sold but returned to the general fleet. The cars will be available for use by county employees while at work and during business hours only. According to the Asbury Park Press report, the freeholders’ order to reduce the number of take-home cars came after the recent conclusion of the Asbury Park Press series “Club Monmouth,” which reported that Monmouth ranks second in the state among all 21 counties in spending and taxes collected, and which examined the number of cars operated by the county.