Title: Vehicle and Equipment Management Procedure

Number: Cancels: Approved: Originator: Review:

LC-1 3/17/92 8/08/07 Fleet Management Division As Needed

I.

PURPOSE AND SCOPE To define the responsibilities, requirements and processes for assignment and use of County-owned or leased vehicles and equipment.

II.

REFERENCES A. B. Lake County Vehicle Policy (LCC-02) Chapter 125.01, Florida Statutes

III.

APPLICABILITY This procedure applies to all employees of the Lake County Board of County Commissioners.

IV.

DEFINITIONS A. County-Owned Vehicle/Equipment A vehicle or piece of equipment that was purchased or leased with any type of County/State/Federal funding. Work/Pool Vehicle A County-Owned vehicle that is assigned to a Department or Division that may or may not be assigned to a specific employee. Emergency Response Vehicle Any vehicle used to respond to an emergency in which there is a life or death situation or where there is a threat of property loss. Specially Equipped Vehicle Any vehicle that carries specialized equipment that is used for on-call situations and/or has specialized identification.

B.

C.

D.

Number: Approved: Page:

LC-1 08/08/07 2

E.

Overnight Vehicle Assignment A vehicle assigned to an employee that may be driven to and from the employees home and work site. Vehicles under this assignment are subject to Internal Revenue Service Regulations Fringe Benefit Tax requirements. Exempt Vehicles Overnight Vehicle assignments that are exempt from Internal Revenue Service Regulations Fringe Benefit Tax requirements. Primary Work Site That location where an employee routinely reports to begin the work day.

F.

G.

V.

PROCEDURES A. Eligibility for Use of County Vehicles Employees who are assigned and/or provided a County-owned vehicle or piece of equipment must meet the following requirements: 1. Must have a valid Florida Drivers License with the proper Class and endorsements required for the specific type of vehicle. Must have a driving record that is acceptable to the County. Must be able to properly perform the essential duties and responsibilities of operating a motor vehicle or specific piece of equipment.

2. 3.

B.

Authorization and Responsibilities 1. County vehicles and/or equipment may only be used or operated by authorized employees for official County Business; personal use of any nature is prohibited. County vehicles used for temporary or occasional travel outside of the geographical boundaries of Lake County must be approved in advance for each occurrence by the responsible Department Director and/or designee. Department Directors and/or their designees have the responsibility to ensure that all County vehicles and/or equipment within their Department /Division/Section are properly utilized and that any assignment changes are reported to Fleet Management.

2.

3.

Number: Approved: Page:

LC-1 08/08/07 3

4.

County employees are responsible for ensuring that assigned vehicles/equipment are operated properly, kept clean, and that maintenance and/or repair issues are promptly reported to the respective garage facility. Maintenance and/or repairs for all BOCC vehicles and/or equipment shall be handled only through the respective/appropriate maintenance facility (i.e., Fleet, Fire Rescue, Mosquito). The Fleet Management Division shall be responsible for overall management and tracking of all BOCC Fleet vehicles and equipment including approving all specifications, standards, and budget requests for new or replacement assets. Requests for new or replacement BOCC vehicles and/or equipment shall be initialized and cost justified through Fleet Management using the Fleet Justification Worksheet Form found on the County intranet under Forms. Fire fighting tankers, pumpers, and/or special equipment are exempt from the provisions of Section III, Subpart B, Parts 6 and 7. The County Manager or designee shall have the final authority for all purchases, assignments, changes and transfers of County vehicles and equipment.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

C.

Safety and Operational Requirements 1. County employees shall abide by all Federal, State, and Local laws regarding the operation of motor vehicles/equipment. Employees shall display safe and courteous driving habits, which reflect favorably on Lake County, its employees, and its citizens. Employees shall follow all County safety rules and guidelines while operating any vehicle or piece of equipment. All occupants, drivers/operators, and passengers shall wear manufacturer installed seat belts. Employees shall minimize activities that divert attention away from safely driving or operating vehicles/equipment. Activities that divert attention include but are not limited to dialing cell phones, typing messages or eating.

2.

3.

4.

Number: Approved: Page:

LC-1 08/08/07 4

5.

Use of any tobacco products (cigarettes, dip, snuff, etc.) is prohibited in all County vehicles and equipment. Employees shall read and be familiar with all vehicle/equipment driver/operator manuals before operating the vehicle or equipment. Supervisors shall verify that employees have been properly trained to operate assigned vehicle(s) and/or equipment and if required document any special training. Employees shall perform a pre-trip inspection and maintain all installed safety items, including fire extinguishers, first aid kits, and other safety related items. Employees shall ensure that all safety or maintenance deficiencies are reported and addressed through their respective garage facility. Reasonable measures shall be taken to ensure the security of all County equipment stored on or within the vehicle/equipment. When not in use, all County vehicles/equipment shall be parked in an appropriate/designated area. Ignition keys shall be removed and doors locked any time a vehicle or piece of equipment is left unattended.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

D.

Registration and Insurance 1. All County vehicles and equipment shall have the registration and proof of insurance card in the vehicle/equipment at all times. Fleet Management is responsible for providing the license plate and registration for all vehicles and equipment. Employee Services is responsible for providing insurance cards for all vehicles and equipment. Employees are responsible for ensuring the appropriate documents are within the vehicle/equipment at all times.

2.

3.

E.

Overnight Vehicle Assignments 1. General Procedure a. An Overnight Vehicle Assignment shall be made only when it is found to contribute significantly to the efficiency and effectiveness of County Government, is cost effective on its own merit, or is in the best interest of the citizens of Lake County.

Number: Approved: Page:

LC-1 08/08/07 5

b. The approving authority may opt for payment of mileage to and from the location of an emergency or after hours call or to the location of the vehicle needed for response in lieu of overnight vehicle assignment, when it is considered in the best interest or more cost effective to the County to do so. c. Requests for permanent Overnight Vehicle Assignments will be considered and evaluated on a case by case basis. Each request shall be evaluated by the County Manager or designee based on the qualifying criteria specified in Section E, Subpart 2. 2. Qualifying Criteria a. Emergency or Specially Equipped Vehicles 1) Required for emergency call out response by; Federal, State or Local law(s) or where the nature and function of the Department or Division, requires that employee(s) respond in a timely manner on a 7 day, 24 hour basis. 2) Vehicle carries specialized equipment and/or markings that are required as part of the response mission or for increased safety of employee or citizens. 3) Documented on-going need for emergency call out situations on an average of four times per month for the preceding three months. b. Work/Pool Vehicles County vehicles may be approved for overnight assignment where it can be clearly demonstrated that the efficiency and effectiveness of County Government is improved. Time and/or cost savings to the County by overnight assignment of that vehicle must be demonstrated. 3. Responsibilities a. Personal use of an Overnight Vehicle Assignment is restricted to the time the employee is in route to or from home to their primary work site. The use of a County vehicle on overnight assignment for any personal use other than proceeding from work to home or home to work is considered an abuse.

Number: Approved: Page:

LC-1 08/08/07 6

b. Department/Division Directors or their designees are responsible for administering and reporting any and all changes related to Overnight Vehicle Assignments. All changes must be documented and approved using the Vehicle Assignment-Authorization Request Form found on the County intranet under quick links Forms. c. Fleet Management shall conduct periodic reviews of all take home assignments. Assignments not meeting the established criteria/guidelines will be reported to the County Manager and Finance Department. d. County Finance will ensure that applicable Fringe Benefits are accessed and collected. 4. Overnight Approval Procedure a. Requests for a permanent Overnight Vehicle Assignment shall be forwarded through the Department/Division Director, through the Fleet Management Director to the County Manager using the Vehicle Assignment-Authorization Request Form found on the County intranet under quick links Forms. b. Based on the Fleet Directors recommendation, the County Manager will consider each new request on a case by case base. If the request is approved the Fleet Director will route the approved original Vehicle Assignment-Authorization Request Form through County Finance. c. Fleet Management shall maintain an accurate record of vehicles and drivers that are approved for Overnight Vehicle Assignments. County Finance will maintain a concurrent record of Overnight Assignments for documentation and assessment of any applicable fringe benefit. d. Requests for a Temporary Overnight Vehicle Assignment shall be submitted via e-mail to the Department/Division Directors or their designee for review and approval for each occurrence. F. Exempt Vehicles Employees on standby/call-out, who are assigned overnight vehicles, will not be assessed a fringe benefit tax if they operate an emergency or specially equipped vehicle as defined by the Internal Revenue Service. Examples of Emergency or Specially equipped vehicles include but are not limited to: 1. Clearly marked police, fire vehicles and ambulances.

Number: Approved: Page:

LC-1 08/08/07 7

2. 3. 4. 5.

Delivery trucks with seating only for the driver. School and passenger busses with over a 20-person capacity. Bucket trucks and specialized utility repair trucks. Certain pickups and cargo vans that are clearly marked with permanently affixed decals or special painting or other advertising. a. Pickup trucks must be equipped with at least one of the following: a hydraulic lift gate, permanently installed tanks or drums, or specialized equipment in the bed of the truck such as an electric generator, welder or boom crane. b. Vans must have only a front seat for the driver or the driver and one passenger and must have permanent shelving for tools and equipment and/or an open cargo area for merchandise or materials.

G.

Parking County Vehicles Off duty 1. Work/Pool Vehicles All County vehicles which are defined in Section II, Subpart B shall be parked overnight only at those designated Primary work sites documented to be the most cost effective for the County. Take Home Assignments All County vehicles which are identified in Section V, Subpart E shall be parked only at the approved overnight address that is on file. In no case shall a County vehicle be parked at a location other than its assigned site when such action is taken only to reduce an employees normal driving distance from home to his/her primary work site. Primary work sites and/or designated parking locations shall not be manipulated in order to create or allow this convenience parking. Deviation from parking requirements of this Section require the written consent of the County Manager and must be on file with Fleet and Finance for tracking and fringe benefit assessment.

2.

3.

4.

H.

Abuse/Discipline Failure to abide by applicable Federal, State, and Local laws, including manufacturers operating procedures and prescribed County Procedures related to use and operation of County vehicles and equipment or which causes abuse,

Number: Approved: Page:

LC-1 08/08/07 8

misuse, or which results in willful negligent, loss or destruction of County vehicles and/or equipment may result in progressive corrective action up to and including termination. VI. RESERVATION OF AUTHORITY The authority to issue or revise this Procedure is reserved to the County Manager. The County Manager may authorize exceptions to this procedure when deemed appropriate.

Cindy Hall County Manager Lake County