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Council reviews draft Town vehicle-use policy and motor-vehicle-record standards
Summary
A draft Town Vehicle Usage Policy was presented to the Council proposing department-level accident review committees, a prohibition on handheld phone use, reporting rules for accidents, and MVR thresholds that would disqualify drivers (e.g., two at-fault accidents or any DUI).
A draft Town Vehicle Usage Policy and accompanying exhibits were presented April 27 as staff and outside advisers urged standardizing approval procedures, accident reviews and Minimum Motor Vehicle Record (MVR) standards for employees who operate Town vehicles.
Tom Brown introduced a template vehicle policy and recommended an accident review committee model that would include members from the affected department and neutral reviewers, with the committee reporting to the department head for any disciplinary recommendations. Brown recommended that committee members rotate and that directors and top supervisors be excluded from peer review panels to reduce bias. He said risk managers he consults with “concur with the structure.”
The draft policy sets out operational rules — employees must have Department Head approval before operating Town Vehicles, report any accidents to supervisors and the Controller’s Office promptly, and are prohibited from using handheld phones while driving. The written draft defines a Take Home Vehicle and includes an acknowledgement form (Exhibit A) and Motor Vehicle Record Qualifications (Exhibit B). Exhibit B proposes MVR standards such as: 0 violations/0 accidents = acceptable; two moving violations in three years = borderline; three or more moving violations = unacceptable; one at-fault accident = acceptable but two at-fault accidents or any DUI/DWI or reckless driving would render a driver “unacceptable.”
Councilors agreed to review the template in consultation with the Police Department and the Police Commission; no final adoption or vote occurred in the study session. Staff were directed to bring a marked-up policy for further review after departmental input.
