The following is a memorandum from Interim City Manager Jerry Moss to members of the Henderson City Council and the Mayor regarding the policy on the use of city vehicles to be enacted on May 1, 2006:
On February 27, 2006, I gave you a policy on the use of city-owned vehicles including an estimate of the savings that would result in the implementation of this policy and a list of employees that would be parking their city-owned vehicle on May 1, 2006.
This management policy was reviewed with the FAIR Committee (with all members of the Public Safety present) of the City Council and approved prior to your February 27th City Council Meeting (see minutes of this meeting attached to your agenda). This policy has been accepted by every department but the Police Department and it generated a lot of discussion within that department and on the Home in Henderson website.
I had indicated in my memo relative to this policy that I didn’t want city employees lobbying City Council members but in some cases this may have happened. This lobbying effort by the Police Department (if successful) would destroy the policy or make it impractical and almost impossible to enforce.
My decision to write this policy and park vehicles driven outside the city limits has been done fairly and will create savings in all departments at a time when this city is strapped for cash. Other cities in North Carolina have similar policies and the policy I drafted was consistent with guidelines set forth by other cities. Some cities had much stricter policies but I believed it was beneficial to the city to have vehicles for “on call” personnel and to have police cars parked at employees homes inside the city to have “police presence and visibility” in the neighborhoods where they live
While this is a management policy and I clearly have the authority to draft and enforce such a policy, I would appreciate your support in my efforts to improve the city’s cash and fund balance position.
Thank each of you for your support since I have been here and I look forward to working with you as we make efforts to improve our community for all our citizens.