Middlesex Cty. puts brakes on use of some vehicles
BY VINCENT TODARO Staff Writer
Middlesex County is cracking down on the use of county-issued cars for employees who live outside the county to get to and from work.

Some 50 county cars will no longer be used for that purpose, according to Middlesex County Freeholder Director David B. Crabiel. There are about 230 county workers who use cars owned and fueled by the county.

Although there was no cost estimate yet on how much money will be saved by this measure, Crabiel said the action is part of an ongoing effort to reduce the size of the county's fleet. Also as part of that effort, 11 cars that were assigned to individual county employees have been turned in for use as unassigned pool cars.

Crabiel said he talks to people all the time in person and on the phone, "and there is a sentiment that some county cars should be restricted."

He said the ban on use of cars for commuting to work from outside the county will affect workers in most county departments. It does not affect law enforcement personnel who are on active on-call status for the sheriff 's and prosecutor's offices.

The freeholders approved the ban during a September meeting. The out-ofcounty employees now have to commute in their own cars and pick up the county-issued vehicles at work.

The 11 cars that will be turned in as unassigned pool cars will eventually be auctioned off, Crabiel said, noting that the county auctions cars once a year.

"While these results, in themselves, are significant, I would like to remind the board that the steps we have taken so far are only the beginning of a much wider and more sweeping series of reforms being developed to limit the use and number of county vehicles," Crabiel said.

Among the topics being reviewed by the county are annual vehicle mileage, labor agreements, departmental requirements and available parking capacity, he said.

"I anticipate that over the course of the next few months, the number of passenger vehicles in the Middlesex County fleet will be further reduced and county cars used for commuting purposes will be further curtailed," Crabiel said, adding that the county is looking to control costs anywhere possible to reduce the burden on taxpayers.

Crabiel said the county should know the cost savings from the recent actions when officials work on the new budget in January.