Feb.
2, 2017
Division
of Corrections eliminating 45 vehicles
CHARLESTON,
W.Va. – Gov. Jim Justice announced today that the West Virginia
Division of Corrections is cutting 45 vehicles from its fleet, a move that will
save taxpayers around $60,000 a year.
For additional savings, Corrections is
also reducing the number of vehicles assigned to individuals and has adopted
the more stringent standard of replacing vehicles after five years or 120,000
miles over the four-year/100,000-mile benchmark set by the state’s Office of
Fleet Management. The new standard applies to all vehicles not equipped for the
secure transport of inmates.
“These action steps will allow us to
reduce the size of our fleet and will generate cost savings for the people of
West Virginia without significantly impacting our ability to perform daily
operational tasks or respond to emergency situations,” Corrections Commissioner
Jim Rubenstein said.
The commissioner has relinquished his
assigned vehicle, as has the agency’s deputy commissioner, assistant
commissioner for operations and the directors of safety and investigations. The
vehicles being eliminated include several leased later-model sedans and SUVs as
well as older trucks, vans and military surplus vehicles that will be retired.
Corrections is part of the Department of
Military Affairs and Public Safety, which is revising its vehicle use policy to
embrace best practices and the latest Fleet Management rules. Other action steps
include regularly evaluating the fleet to identify under-used vehicles that can
be retired or returned under Fleet Management rules, and ensuring that employees
assigned vehicles document after-hours emergency travel and account for vehicle
use for tax purposes.
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