Commissioners decline full-time take-home vehicle for prosecutor deputy, authorize case-by-case use

Johnson County commissioners on Sept. 8 declined to approve a permanent take-home vehicle for a deputy prosecutor but agreed staff may allow vehicle take-home on a limited, needs-based basis for specific assignments or multi-day case work.

During discussion a commissioner said the round-trip mileage in question was about 92 miles and that the commissioner could not support a blanket take-home vehicle. "Given the mileage that we're looking at here, 92 miles, I think it is, round trip. I just can't vote for a take home vehicle," the speaker said. The commissioner proposed an alternative under which staff could authorize temporary take-home use when an assignment required presence across the county on consecutive days; the commissioner said the deputy would need to justify the mileage.

County officials said the employee handbook already allows departments to request short-term take-home vehicle approvals through the fleet director and the commissioners on a case-by-case basis. One commissioner said the department should follow the handbook procedure for individual requests. The motion to deny full-time take-home status and to consider need-based requests carried.

Discussion was limited to operational considerations, mileage and handbook procedures; no statute or policy change was enacted. Commissioners instructed staff to process future short-term requests under the existing handbook rules and to notify the board when such requests are approved.

No dollar amounts or an exact duration for temporary approvals were provided in the meeting transcript.