Referred to:  The Public Works, Capital Projects and Transportation Committee (Chairwoman Petit and Legislators Erner, Fabiano, Litts, and Nolan)

Legislator Joe Maloney offers the following:

WHEREAS, in 2007 it was necessary to set policy, procedure and criteria relating to the authorization of County employees to use Ulster County owned vehicles to commute to and from work; and

WHEREAS, on September 11, 2007, the Legislature adopted Resolution No. 319 to establish such policy (“The Charlie Busick Policy”) for the use of County Owned Vehicles to Commute to and from work; and

WHEREAS, the intent of setting said policy was to ensure the proper use of public funds with regards to the County practice of allowing employees to commute to and from work in County owned vehicles; and

WHEREAS, the County is no longer following the adopted policy, despite no resolution rescinding such; and

WHEREAS, the management of the Ulster County fleet has been called into question in recent years, with a large number of take-home vehicles in the fleet, yet little understanding of the justification regarding the issuance of many of these vehicles; and   

 WHEREAS, the replacement schedule and financing of such has continued to receive criticism with no alternate plans being suggested, developed or presented to the Legislature to date; and

WHEREAS, the Ulster County Legislature deems it necessary to establish a special committee for the purposes of reviewing all practices relating to the Ulster County fleet and making recommendations for policy and laws related to right-sizing such; and

WHEREAS, the County Charter and the Legislature Rules of Order authorize the Legislature to establish special committees; now, therefore be it

RESOLVED, that the Legislature establishes a special committee, known as the Ulster County Fleet Management Review Committee, to review all existing legislation, operations, policies, internal department procedures and any contractual agreements relating the Ulster County fleet; and, be it further

RESOLVED, the Ulster County Fleet Management Review Committee’s work shall include but not be limited to review of the following: 1) a comprehensive list of all County vehicles, including separately all take home vehicles which shall include the Department, individual assigned to the vehicle, the vehicle year, make and model, the dates of vehicle assignment, original cost, date of acquisition, and purpose of each; 2)  replacement schedule and anticipated costs for the next 5 years consistent with the County’s currently adopted policies and procedures; 3) historic analysis of the total annual costs associated with vehicle acquisition and maintenance, including a breakdown of the cost per vehicle for the past 5 years; 4) a comprehensive list of the County’s electric vehicles and the County’s electric vehicle charging stations; and 5) best practices for fleet management, fleet budgeting for maintenance and replacement, and for fleet policies; and, be it further

 RESOLVED, in furtherance of its mission, the Ulster County Fleet Management Review Committee shall develop and recommend reform measures and internal controls for ensuring that the County’s fleet policies are fair, controlled, complied with, and designed in the best interest of the tax payer, residents and those receiving services from Ulster County; and, be it further

RESOLVED, that the membership of the Ulster County Fleet Management Review Committee shall include (1) a legislative member representing and chosen by the Public Works and Capital Projects Committee; (2) a legislative member representing and chosen by the Ways and Means Committee; (3) a legislative member representing and chosen by the Laws and Rules, Governmental Services Committee (4) a legislative member appointed by the Majority Leader of the Ulster County Legislature; and (5) a legislative member appointed by the Minority Leader of the Ulster County Legislature; and, be it further

RESOLVED, that all appointments to the Ulster County Fleet Management Review Committee shall be made within thirty (30) days from the passage of this resolution; and, be it further

RESOLVED, that the Committee shall first meet within thirty (30) days of its full membership appointment; and, be it further

RESOLVED, Ulster County Fleet Management Review Committee members, once appointed, shall serve for the duration of the Committee assignment; and, be it further

RESOLVED, Ulster County Fleet Management Review Committee shall establish its own schedule for meetings, and within nine (9) months of its initial meeting, the Ulster County Fleet Management Review Committee shall provide a written report of its findings and recommendations to the Ulster County Legislature; and, be it further

RESOLVED, the Ulster County Fleet Management Review Committee shall be dissolved upon submission of said report,