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1. Purpose. The intent of this policy is to establish a procedure for employees of the County of Otsego who operate county owned vehicles. 2. Authority. Otsego County Board of Commissioners. 3. Application. This policy will apply to all employees, elected or appointed, who may operate vehicles owned by the County of Otsego. 4. General Policy. All employees who are assigned County owned vehicles to carry out their duties as County employees shall leave all County owned vehicles at their normal employment site or office location. Any County employee who operates a County owned vehicle shall use the vehicle assigned to them for county business purposes only. The use of County owned vehicles for personal use is prohibited, and shall result in referral to the Attorney General or disciplinary action up to and including discharge. Use of County-owned vehicles must be in compliance with all state and federal laws, local ordinances and applicable county policies. Adoption of this policy supercedes previously adopted county-wide or departmental policies which may be in conflict with this policy. Failure to follow this policy may result in revocation of an assigned vehicle, or in disciplinary action up to and including termination of employment. 5. Supervisory Responsibilities. It shall be the responsibility of the County Administrator and Management Team members to: A. Promote the safe operation of county vehicles. B. Administer and enforce all state and federal laws, county and/or departmental policies and procedures regarding vehicle operation which may be applicable. 6. Employee Responsibilities. A. Safely operate county vehicles conforming to all state laws, local ordinances and county and/or departmental policies regarding the operation of a motor vehicle. County Credit Card County Owned Vehicle Policy ---PAGE BREAK--- B. Maintain a valid and properly classified operator’s license and provide proof of such license as required by county and/or departmental administration. C. Advise an immediate supervisor immediately of the loss of a valid operator’s license due to suspension, revocation or expiration. D. Employees assigned county-owned vehicles are to take proper care of the interior and exterior appearance and services of county-owned vehicles at the scheduled times and/or every 4,000 miles. Failure to do so may result in disciplinary action. Upholding the maintenance requirement is the responsibility of the Department Director. E. report any and all vehicle safety defects found during such inspections. These shall be reported to the immediate supervisor and the person responsible for vehicle maintenance and repair. F. Require that all occupants utilize safety belts with the exception of passengers on any County Bus. County Bus passengers will follow the Otsego County Bus System Seat Belt Policy. G. Employees shall operate county vehicles in a safe and courteous manner. Employees shall not exceed the speed limit unless in pursuit or emergency. H. Violations, citations, fines, and other actions taken by any police jurisdiction against any employee while driving a county vehicle shall be the responsibility of the employee and may be cause for disciplinary action by the county. I. Employees shall notify his/her department director of any points incurred on their driver’s license for situations including, but not limited to, accidents, speeding tickets, driving under the influence, and driver’s license suspensions or revocations. J. The use of tobacco in any form is prohibited in county-owned vehicles. K. Maintenance on county-owned vehicles will be performed by the Otsego County Bus System staff, unless the work can be performed at an equivalent or lesser cost, or if the timeliness of having the vehicle services by the Bus System would create a hardship for the department. L. The Department Director of each department shall turn into the Bus System Director the mileage of each county-owned vehicle yearly. Mileage must be turned into the Bus Director by January 31 of each year. M. All County vehicles will have an “official county vehicle” sticker placed on the vehicle, except for those vehicles that have an alternative sticker identifying their Department. 7. Prohibited Usage or Practices A. Allowing any non-county employees to operate a county vehicle. B. Operating the vehicle in contravention to applicable state laws, local ordinances or county and/or departmental policies or procedures. C. Using any assigned vehicle for any illegal purpose as defined by federal law, state law, county or local ordinance. D. No county vehicle shall be used for personal use, including commuting to and ---PAGE BREAK--- from the office, general recreation or vacations. 8. Exceptions County employees may take home a department vehicle when they are scheduled to be “on- call” for County business, with the approval of their department head or elected official. Other exceptions to this policy must be reviewed and approved by the Board of Commissioners. 9. Effective Date The effective date of this policy is October 24, 2006.