14-B Benefits Sub (05-04-04) - Laserfiche WebLink

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City of Paris Council Bcncl'its Subcommittee May 4, 2004 Page 8 taken into consideration to and from work. Once they are on the job, each employee that is on this list that is getting a car allowance, they should be able to look at and say they do 'x' number of driving and their car allowance would be justified by them using their own vehicle. Councilman Bell said questions that have been brought up by him such as the meter readers. Are they not using city vehicles'? Mr. Anderson advised that they have always used their own vehicles. Councilman Guest said he saw one today pulling out in a city truck in his neighborhood. Mr. Anderson said he was not reading meters, lie may have been changing out meters. Interim City Manager Townsend said it could have been one of his employees because they have been helping out. Councilman Bell said there are employees utilizing a personal vehicle during the course of the day for business and this does not include coming to and fi'om work and going home from work. He felt staff should look at these. He would like to compare that against a specific budget payment of who was paid milage last year because we have a situation where he understands that there is a person drawing a car allowance and the city is paying them milage over and above that. Councilman Bell wanted to know what justification does the city have tbr that. Mr. Anderson explained that car allowance covers any traveling in the city and probably in the county. If an employee goes outside the county such as Houston, Austin, Dallas, etc., they would be paid milage. Councilman Bell said the city is paying employees across the board, and if that is the case, why have car allowances at any point, why not pay milage and have claim on it in toxvn, in the county or in the state. Mr. Anderson said it depends where you put the milage reimbursement rate at, but for someone to own, maintain and insure a vehicle, what you are paying for a car allowance is going to be less than it would cost the city to buy a vehicle, fuel it, maintain and do all the necessary things. That is the justification on why the city is doing car allowances, now, instead of furnishing vehicles. Mr. Anderson advised that when he came to work tbr the city, a lot of city officials had vehicles provided for them, and he was one of them, but it was deemed to be cheaper to pay an allowance and be done with it.