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Montgomery council approves larger mileage allowance and take-home police vehicle program
Summary
The Montgomery City Council on Feb. 10 approved amendments to the personnel manual increasing the fixed mileage allowance and adopted a police take-home program intended to improve response times and lower vehicle maintenance costs.
Montgomery, Texas — The City Council voted Feb. 10 to update the city personnel policy on vehicle use and to adopt a police department take-home vehicle program, after staff said the changes would improve emergency response and reduce fleet maintenance costs.
The council approved an amendment to the personnel manual that raises the fixed mileage threshold and separately approved a resolution to adopt the Police Department’s take-home control unit program. The motions were moved and seconded by council members and carried on voice votes; council recorded “the ayes have it.”
Why it mattered: Police and staff told the council the changes respond to mounting maintenance costs and operational delays. The Police Chief said the department previously logged $36,000 in maintenance and repair for squad vehicles in 2023–24 and that the city went “more than $10,000 over” those budgets in that period. “So what we did is we went into a lease program with Enterprise Leasing,” the chief said, adding the lease reduced purchase costs and overall wear. He also told council that while fuel costs will rise (staff estimated about $4,300), the city will still net savings on maintenance.
What the council approved: The personnel policy language was revised to increase the fixed-mileage threshold (the posted policy change raised a prior 15-mile limit to 35 miles in the personnel manual) so that staff and police rules align. Separately the council approved the Police Department take-home control unit program, which staff said will allow officers with specialized equipment to keep their assigned vehicles at home during an officer’s scheduled on-duty rotation so they may respond more quickly to incidents.
Council questions and staff responses: Council members asked who would be eligible to take vehicles home, whether cars would be GPS-tracked, and whether insurance would change. The chief said not all officers take cars home now and that, under the program, officers would take vehicles home only for the days they are on duty. He confirmed the fleet is GPS-tracked and that the insurance profile would not change under the city’s arrangement with the Texas Municipal League (TML) coverage. A council member worried about officers’ vehicles operating outside Montgomery; staff responded the policy is intended to ensure rapid response back to city scenes and to equip officers who perform specialized duties.
Next steps and oversight: Staff said the program will be monitored by the chief and the city administrator and that the council can revisit or suspend the program if needed. The council did not attach additional conditions when it approved the resolutions.
Votes and motions: Item 8 (personnel policy amendment) was approved by motion of Mr. Olsen and seconded by Ms. Fox. Item 9 (Police take-home program) was approved by motion of Ms. Fox and seconded by Mr. Olson; both passed by majority voice vote.
Context: Council members framed the program as both an operational improvement and a recruiting/retention benefit in a tight labor market for police, while some members pressed staff to ensure the city remains competitive with neighboring agencies.
What’s next: Staff will implement the policy changes and the take-home program and report back to council if monitoring shows problems or if the program needs modification.
