Town of Tolland, CT Miscellaneous

The policy of the Town of Tolland is to require that Town employees who need transportation for the performance of their duties will either have a Town vehicle assigned or available to them, or be adequately reimbursed for the use of a privately owned vehicle when such use is authorized.

Personnel requiring transportation in the performance of their official duties are expected to conform to the policies set forth herein. It is the responsibility of the division or department head to assure that employees under their supervision conform to this policy.

Vehicle use categories.

There are three types of vehicle usage: assigned vehicles for "on-call" personnel, assigned vehicles, and privately owned vehicles used on Town business.

Assigned vehicles for on-call personnel.

[Amended 8-9-2011]

Personnel who are on call for emergencies are assigned Town vehicles. The assigned vehicles may be driven home on a regular basis, used to obtain meals while on duty, driven to evening meetings, and used for out-of-town travel on Town business.

The use of a Town vehicle to travel to and from work is generally regarded as taxable income for some position classifications by the IRS and is reported on the W-4 form of the individual who is assigned the vehicle, except for police and fire vehicles, which are exempt. This estimated tax liability, as calculated by the Payroll Department, will be reimbursed to the employees by the Town annually. Dependent upon IRS guidelines, calculation of the taxable benefit will be done by one of three methods: the lease value rule; the cents-per-mile rule; or the commuting rule.

(c)

Personnel in this category include:

[Amended 6-14-2016]

[1]

Director of Public Works.

[2]

Public Works Operations Manager.

[3]

Public Works Supervisor.

[4]

Town Manager.

[5]

Director of Public Safety.

[6]

Assistant Director of Public Safety.

[7]

Building Official.

[8]

Fire Marshal.

(d)

Employees must submit quarterly mileage reports to the Finance Office for calculation of their taxable benefit.

(e)

The Town Manager will maintain a list of assigned vehicles.

(f)

Under no circumstances shall any family member or any other unauthorized individual be permitted to drive any Town-owned vehicle.

Assigned vehicles.

Personnel who are assigned vehicles shall park them in the Hicks Municipal Center parking lot overnight. Assigned vehicles are to be used in the conduct of Town business during the day and may be used for evening commute for required Town business purposes only. In this circumstance, the vehicle may be driven home in the evening for dinner and to and from the place of business. Assigned vehicle operators are responsible for the care of their assigned vehicle. If another employee wishes to use an assigned vehicle, the employee must obtain written authorization by the respective division/department head, or the Town Manager.

Each division/department shall keep a list of authorized employees who may operate the Town-owned vehicle that is assigned to that department. Only specified personnel may, upon approval of a division/department head or the Town Manager, operate a Town vehicle.

(c)

Under no circumstances shall any unauthorized individual be permitted to drive any Town-owned vehicle.

Privately owned vehicles used in the conduct of Town business.

A privately owned vehicle may be used for transportation in the performance of official Town business upon approval of a division/department head or the Town Manager when a Town vehicle is not available.

Compensation for use of privately owned vehicles. Employees shall be compensated for privately owned vehicle usage at the applicable IRS rate per mile prevailing as of the beginning of the Town's fiscal year.

(c)

Insurance coverage. Employees are required to maintain liability insurance on privately owned vehicles used on Town business at a level not less than $100,000 per person/$300,000 combined single limit for bodily injury and/or property damage. The Town will provide excess liability insurance beyond these minimum levels up to the limit of liability provided for Town-owned vehicles. Proof of proper insurance will be required for mileage reimbursement.

(d)

Employees involved in accidents. Employees are personally responsible for insuring privately owned vehicles for physical damage claims, including but not limited to glass, theft, vandalism, and collision. The Town does not provide any excess physical damage coverage; however, if an employee is involved in an accident while on official Town business, the Town of Tolland shall reimburse the employee for the policy deductible up to a maximum payment of $500. Payment will be made upon receipt of all documentation requested, including proof of payment from the employee's insurance carrier.

Recordkeeping.

Any employee who uses a vehicle on Town business, whether it be a Town vehicle or privately-owned vehicle, shall keep a record on a log form to be supplied by the Town of mileage, destination, time, and purpose of trip, etc.

A copy of each such log form shall be submitted weekly to the appropriate division/department head, or to the Town Manager.

The log form completed by any employee who uses a Town vehicle shall also include data for any personal use of said vehicle that is not considered Town business under this policy.

The employee shall reimburse the Town for all personal use of a Town vehicle at the applicable IRS rate per mile prevailing as of the beginning of the Town's fiscal year.

Financial responsibility.

Employees operating Town-owned automobiles are protected against claims for property damage and/or bodily injury arising out of the use of that vehicle when:

The employee is acting in the performance of his/her duties and within the scope of his/her employment; and

The damage is not the result of a willful, malicious, or intentional act.

Employees operating Town-owned vehicles outside the performance of their duties and scope of employment and without the written permission of the Town Manager shall be held responsible for property damage, including but not limited to the reasonable value of wear and tear on the car, and/or personal injury arising out of such unauthorized use.

Employees using privately owned vehicles on official Town business are provided liability coverage by the Town on an "excess" basis, secondary to any other collectible insurance. This does not include physical damage coverage to the employee's vehicle (comprehensive and collision). Mileage reimbursement payments anticipate insurance costs borne by the owner of the vehicle; therefore, any privately owned vehicle used on business must be covered by insurance with minimum limits as set forth herein.

Conduct in the use of motor vehicles.

Employees using Town or personal vehicles shall use appropriate caution in their driving habits, and abide by all applicable laws governing both emergency and nonemergency use.

Use of seat belts. All Town employees are required to use seat belts when operating a Town vehicle and when operating a privately owned vehicle in the conduct of official Town business.

Possession of a driver's license. Operation of a Town vehicle or a personally owned vehicle without a valid driver's license is expressly prohibited.

Markings. All Town-owned vehicles shall be identified by a Town seal displayed on each side of the vehicle, except for vehicles assigned to the police and Town Manager. All vehicles shall bear municipal license plates. No private equipment, decorations, stickers, or advertisements shall be affixed to a Town vehicle.

Maintenance of Town vehicles. The following guidelines should be adhered to by everyone using Town-owned vehicles:

Vehicles shall be washed at least quarterly.

The interiors of the vehicles shall be kept clean.

Each time the vehicle is used, the tires shall be checked visually. The vehicle's oil level shall be checked each time the car is refueled.

Mechanical problems of which the operator becomes aware shall be reported and the vehicle brought in for preventive maintenance (PM) checks as required.

(5)

Doors shall be locked and windows closed when vehicles are not being used.

(6)

Under no circumstances shall a privately owned vehicle be fueled, maintained, or otherwise serviced by the Town of Tolland, even if the vehicle is being used for municipal purposes.

(7)

The Town reserves the right to charge individual drivers of Town-owned vehicles for the costs of repairs due to poor maintenance, carelessness, and/or damages beyond normal wear and tear.

Complaints. All complaints concerning Town vehicles, drivers, or passengers shall be immediately investigated by the appropriate department or division head. The results of the investigation shall be reported in writing to the Town Manager. The complaint shall contain the following:

Name, address, and phone number of the complainant.

Name and operator's license number of the driver.

Summary of the complaint.

Findings of the investigation.

(5)

Remedial action taken, if any.

Fines and charges.

Parking fines and moving violations are the personal responsibility of the vehicle operator. All such fines and charges must be reimbursed to the Town if necessary.

If any fines, charges, or other bills owed to the Town by the employee pursuant to this policy are not paid within three months of the date they are incurred, the Town will request authorization to deduct proper legal amount from the employee's paycheck after one written warning to the employee.

Penalties and discipline.

Employees with poor driving records may have the privilege of using a Town vehicle revoked. Each employee using a Town-owned or -leased vehicle shall provide the Town with a copy of his or her driving record annually, if requested by the Town.