SALT LAKE COUNTY, UT —An independent panel has issued its review of Salt Lake County's vehicle policies and practices, and found "widespread" and "serious" problems, costing taxpayers untold millions of dollars, according to KSL TV on December 22. Six months ago the group began investigating the issue, and wrote a 3-inch thick, 10-lb. report. The scandal broke when stories emerged about county executives driving county SUVs using county credit cards to pay for gas. Other stories came out about stealing gas, double dipping, and a towing boat to a Lake Powell vacation. Mayor Nancy Workman invited a five-member panel to review the county's vehicle policies and practices. They found problems for a new administration to fix: The systematic overcharging of other departments by fleet management, widespread disregard of vehicle policies and controls "at all levels" of county government, inadequate analysis to back up decisions, and poor oversight of fleet management. Of particular concern, the so-called "fast rotation" program, replacing vehicles after they'd only been driven for a year or two. The group cited an example of one department getting a van it didn't need, barely using it, only to find it replaced by a brand new vehicle a year later. The group says the county's fleet program needs a "massive overhaul."