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Ashland County committee debates take-home vehicles, moves to gather more data
Summary
The Ashland County Executive Committee discussed a proposed county vehicle policy — including a motion that drivers be at least 18 with a valid license — but deferred final action to collect input from the sheriff's office and other departments.
The Ashland County Executive Committee spent extended time reviewing Vehicle Use Policy B, focusing on whether county employees should be allowed to take vehicles home and under what conditions. Bill Metzinger moved that anyone driving a county vehicle be at least 18 and hold a valid driver’s license; Clarence Campbell seconded. The motion was discussed but not finalized at the meeting.
Matt Erickson of the Highway Department told the committee that three county vehicles are assigned for take-home use to positions with 24-hour emergency responsibilities (highway commissioner, patrol superintendent and shop superintendent) and that the highway committee had voted unanimously to continue that practice. "We use these vehicles to respond to emergencies… being able to respond in a county vehicle gives us our tools, our lights, our radios," Erickson said, explaining the operational rationale for the take-home assignments.
Committee members raised concerns about fairness, personal use and cost. "Just because it's always been done does not mean everybody gets to take a vehicle home," Sean Setterholm said, urging a review of the practice and its cost. Clarence Campbell also flagged monitoring and insurance implications, noting that personal trips in county vehicles could create coverage issues and untaxed income-like benefits for employees.
Members asked staff to gather more information before a policy change: the sheriff's department will be asked to provide current practices and data; staff will also collect examples from other counties (Bayfield and Iron were mentioned). The committee agreed to return the item to a future agenda with additional information, including enforcement and potential mileage or geography limits.
Next steps: staff will request written practices and data from the sheriff’s office and other departments, solicit Bayfield and Iron county policies for comparison, and bring a consolidated recommendation back to the executive committee.
