Board Approves County Fleet Management Study

Oklahoma County – By a vote of two to one, the Oklahoma County Board of Commissioners voted today to establish a taskforce to study and make recommendations regarding the creation of a county wide fleet management system, said Commission Chairman Jim Roth. Roth was joined by District 3 Commissioner Stan Inman in voting to create the work group. District 2 Chief Deputy Jim Marshall, representing an absent Brent Rinehart, voted against the motion.

The taskforce will be made up of representatives of each elected county official whose office has a vehicle fleet, each Commissioner’s office, and directors of various BOCC Departments including, the Office of Budget and Management, the Juvenile Bureau, and Emergency Management.

Roth explained the primary objective of the taskforce will be the creation of a county wide system that offers efficiency and accountability. They will begin work by reviewing the results of a recent State Auditor’s county vehicle audit. Among the recommendations included in the Auditor’s report was the establishment of comprehensive county wide fleet policies. The taskforce will report back to the Board in four weeks with their recommendations.

Roth went on to say that while Rinehart’s office had suggested the implementation of their recommended policy could save the county $1.8 million dollars it failed to include one important but necessary detail. “Nowhere in that policy did they address start up and operating costs associated with the creation of a Fleet Management Office. Our public resources deserve greater scrutiny than what was proposed,” Roth said.