News
Doing things the same way because that is how they have been done for at least two decades is rarely a convincing argument. So St. Petersburg Mayor Bill Foster is smart to signal he finally plans to end the city's generous and outdated car allowance policy and replace it with one that pays employees for specific mileage. That should lead to more efficient city government.
Foster was initially reticent seven months ago to jettison the city's car allowance policy, which was among the most generous in the region. St. Petersburg paid between $92 and $200 a month to 141 of its higher-paid employees — more than 5 percent of the city's workforce — to ensure those workers had a car at their disposal for city business. The total bill: nearly $202,000 annually. Foster had contended it was part of the compensation needed to retain quality workers.
But after tracking worker mileage for August, September and October last year, Foster told the City Council earlier this month it makes sense to move to a per-mile reimbursement plan. While some employees will collect more money under the new system, many more probably will collect far less. That's only fair for those employees who use their cars extensively for city business but also for taxpayers. Foster has yet to confirm exactly how much could be saved, but it appears to be at least $50,000.
Now City Council member Wengay Newton, who pushed for the car allowance review, is pushing to review which employees are given take-home city cars — another costly perk. It sure doesn't hurt to take a look.
Loading...
