Score: -2 (2/3/4)

San Luis Obispo County Grand Jury • 2009-2010

USE of City Vehicles

Published: ∼ June 30, 2009 17 pages

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⚠️ Translation Notice: This content has been automatically translated. The original English text is the official version. Translation may contain errors.

⚠️ Este contenido ha sido traducido automáticamente. El texto original en inglés es la versión oficial. La traducción puede contener errores.

Findings and Recommendations 5 findings

As of December 2009, the seven incorporated cities in San Luis Obispo County reported owning or leasing a total of 444 vehicles, of which 66 are regularly taken home.

Related Recommendations (1)

Grover Beach, Morro Bay, Pismo Beach, Paso Robles, and San Luis Obispo should develop or amend their written policies for city vehicle use to make sure they specify continued driver license review, restrictions of city business use only, safe and legal operation, and accident reporting.

All cities except Morro Bay have established some rules for employee use of city-owned vehicles, such as limitations of use for personal purposes, requirement for current drivers’ licenses, and accident reporting.

Related Recommendations (1)

Grover Beach, Morro Bay, Paso Robles and San Luis Obispo should enroll all drivers of city vehicles in the DMV Pull Notice program.

Morro Bay reports that a new vehicle use procedure is currently being prepared.

Related Recommendations (1)

Grover Beach, Morro Bay, Paso Robles, Pismo Beach and San Luis Obispo should develop, or strengthen existing, policies and procedures to better define take-home vehicle usage to ensure that sufficient business and financial justification exists.

Only the cities of Arroyo Grande, Atascadero and Pismo Beach maintain a policy of enrolling city employees who use city cars in the state Department of Motor Vehicles Pull Notice program, which alerts the city when a driver is ticketed or involved in an accident.

Related Recommendations (1)

Arroyo Grande and Atascadero should review their current policies and procedures regarding take-home vehicle usage to ensure that sufficient business and financial justification exists.

Policies and procedures for assignment of take-home vehicles vary in stringency, potentially placing the city at risk of abuse and increased liability.

No recommendations for this finding

Agency Responses 3

Government agencies' official responses to this report's findings and recommendations. Click on a response to see the structured breakdown.

G7 Use City Vehicles resp SLO City Council

September 08, 2010 • 5 pages • 4 responses • Score: -1 (+0, 1, -1) View Details ▾

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4 responses to findings and recommendations

Grover Beach, Morro Bay, Paso Robles and San Luis Obispo should enroll all drivers of city vehicles in the DMV Pull Notice program.

Response: Unknown

Score: 0

The recommendation has already been implemented. All City employees are currently enrolled in the DMV Pull Notice program, and the City is alerted to driver infractions on a monthly basis.

Response: Unknown

Score: 0

The recommendation has not yet been implemented. The City is in the process of updating an existing City policy for the use of Standby Vehicles and should be completed by December 6, 2010. We appreciate the concern of the Grand Jury that the City be a good steward of the public's resources as it relates to vehicle and equipment usage. Please be assured that it is the City's intent to have policies in effect that are current, and ensure that the drivers are safe, well trained and accountable for their use of City vehicles and equipment. If there are further questions or comments regarding the C...

Response: Disagree Score: -1

Only the cities of Arroyo Grande, Atascadero, and Pismo Beach maintain a policy of enrolling city employees who use City cars in the State Department of Motor Vehicles Pull Notice program, which alerts the city when a driver is ticketed or involved in an accident. <b>Response:</b> The City disagrees with the finding. All City employees are currently enrolled in the DMV Pull Notice program, and the City is alerted to driver infractions on a monthly basis.

Policies and procedures for assignment of take-home vehicles vary in stringency, potentially placing the city at risk of abuse and increased liability.

Response: Disagree Partially Score: 0

Policies and procedures for assignment of take-home vehicles vary in stringency, potentially placing the city at risk for abuse and increased liability. <b>Response:</b> The City partially disagrees with the finding. The City has a use policy for the limited number of vehicles in the fleet assigned to be taken home. This policy limits the risk of abuse and liability. The City is also in the process of updating the existing City policy for the use of Standby Vehicles as it relates to take-home privileges and should be completed by December 6, 2010.

H1 BoS SLO

July 27, 2010 • 2 pages View Details ▾

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H2 auditor controller treas slo

July 27, 2010 • 3 pages • 7 responses • Score: -1 (+2, 2, -3) View Details ▾

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7 responses to findings and recommendations

As of December 2009, the seven incorporated cities in San Luis Obispo County reported owning or leasing a total of 444 vehicles, of which 66 are regularly taken home.

Response: Agree Score: +1

We agree with this finding.

Response: Will Not Implement

Score: -1

This recommendation will not be implemented. The recommendation addresses a subject that has not been an issue in the past. Each year, the Tax Collector sends over 100 customer surveys along with randomly selected tax bills giving taxpayers an opportunity to make comments about the tax bill. Prior to this report, we have never received a request for tax breakdown information of individual tax bills. The current method of providing tax information is in full compliance with state laws. The detailed information that would be added to each bill would be significant. In our judgment, a cost-benefi...

Response: Disagree Partially Score: 0

We partially disagree with this finding. It is true that our tax bills do not include information on how the individual taxpayer's payments are distributed for the 1% collected according to the limitations provided for in the 1978 Proposition 13, Constitutional Amendment. However, each additional amount collected above the 1% amount is specifically itemized. The Auditor-Controller's Office publishes contact information to assist taxpayers in communicating with the various public agencies that receive funds above the 1% amounts. To our knowledge, no other California county prints complete tax d...

Grover Beach, Morro Bay, Paso Robles and San Luis Obispo should enroll all drivers of city vehicles in the DMV Pull Notice program.

Response: Will Not Implement

Score: -1

This recommendation will not be implemented. The current method of providing tax disbursement information is in full compliance with state law. The Auditor-Controller's web site found at http://www.slocounty.ca.gov/AC/Property_Tax_Information.htm includes two publications that provide extensive information about property tax rates and allocations to local agencies. The publications "Property Tax Rates, Allocations, and Assessed Values" and "Property Tax Perspective" are available for the current fiscal year and several prior years.

Morro Bay reports that a new vehicle use procedure is currently being prepared.

Response: Agree Score: +1

We agree with this finding.

Response: Will Not Implement

Score: -1

This recommendation will not be implemented. See detailed responses to recommendations 1 and 2 above. Conclusion: Additional review of the recommendations provided in this report will be considered at the time of the procurement of a new and more robust property tax assessment and collection computer system. Frank L. Fréitas, CPA W. Sibbach, CPA San Luis Obispo County San Luis Obispo County Auditor-Controller Treasurer-Tax Collector cc: San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors James Grant, County Administrative Officer A-24 July 27, 2010

Response: Disagree Partially Score: 0

We partially disagree with this finding. A breakdown of the 1% amount on a total County basis is published annually by the Auditor-Controller. The report 'Tax Rate Information and Assessed Values' for fiscal year 2009-10 is available without charge on-line at http://www.slocounty.ca.gov/Assets/AC/Digital/2009-10TaxRateBook.pdf

No Responses Found 6

Government entities assigned to respond to this report. No response documents have been linked in our database.

Arroyo Grande City

Atascadero City

Grover Beach City

Morro Bay City

Paso Robles City

Pismo Beach City