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Council Debates Take Home Car Usage

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Mar 25, 2008 1:55 pm US/Eastern

Council Debates Take Home Car Usage

Reporting
Brenda Waters
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) ― The issue of city employees taking home city-owned cars was debated today in Pittsburgh City Council.

City Councilman Rev. Ricky Burgess said too many city workers were getting a free ride.

So he introduced to legislation to put the brakes on that, and today, in a final vote, it passed.

"I believe that city vehicles, with free city vehicles, free city gas and free insurance shouldn't be used by people to basically commute back and forth to work, but these cars should be only to those who absolutely need them for emergency use, first responder use," sais Burgess.

The measure introduced by Councilman Rev. Ricky Burgess came before council and passed with an amendment.

"That's actually a second legislation, because we listen to the solicitor, we took our original legislation and divided it into two parts," said Burgess. "One part is the take home vehicle part. The other one is a reimbursement for all city employees."

Several council members don't believe they should accept reimbursement for using their personal cars.

Some see it as a pay increase during a time when the city is financially strapped.

Councilman Burgess said the most important part of the measure is reducing the number of city cars being used by city workers.

So who should use them?

"Basically emergency people, police, fire, EMS people, but the legislation has the mayor decide who get this takes home cars, all we're doing is reduce the number to the number we have already agreed to under Act 47," said Burgess. 

The city employees 3,000 people and 61 of them use city-owned cars, and Councilman Burgess would like to reduce that number to 29.

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