City hall unfazed by Ventura County grand jury report

'Stringent policy' has kept Camarillo in compliance

By Michelle Knight knight@theacorn.com

It didn't take more than two paragraphs for the city's reply to a recent report by the Ventura County grand jury concerning employee use of city vehicles.

Earlier this year, the 2008-09 grand jury investigated all 10 cities in Ventura County on their practices and tax reporting regarding employee takehome vehicles. The findings and recommendations were published May 11, and the cities had 90 days to respond.

Camarillo's June 25 response essentially says the city has reviewed and adjusted its policies on the use of city vehicles every year since 1989 and complies with income tax laws.

"We have a very stringent policy with respect to companyowned vehicles," Mayor Don Waunch said this week.

Waunch said he was on the committee that reviews all city policies with a "fine-tooth comb."

"And that's why we're in compliance," he added.

In its report "Is the City Car a Free Ride?" the grand jury made four recommendations: Two were directed at Ventura and Ojai and two applied to all 10 cities in the county. The jury recommended all cities evaluate their practices for takehome vehicles with an eye toward reducing costs and review whether they are in compliance with income tax reporting laws. Use of police and fire vehicles were not included in the investigation.

Regarding fringe benefits, the jury referred to an Internal Revenue Service publication that requires employers to include in employees' taxable income imputed income—the value of the personal use of employer-owned vehicles.

In Camarillo, five in the city's fleet of 45 are take-home vehicles. Most of the employees who take home a vehicle work in the public works department. The city does not report their use as imputed income.

City Manager Jerry Bankston said there's no need to because the employees are subject to emergency call-outs and require special equipment in the vehicles; they do not use the vehicles for personal use. City policy does not permit administrators to take home a cityowned vehicle, he said.

For the city of Ventura, the grand jury had pointed remarks. Ventura has 37 takehome vehicles—a "disproportionately large" percentage that's three times the average of all the cities—and did not report imputed income, the report states. The jury recommended that Ventura use an independent auditor to validate its policy of not reporting imputed income on all its take-home vehicles.

On the other hand, the grand jury commended the city of Thousand Oaks for reducing its number of take-home vehicles from 39 to five in January, saving the city about $100,000.

Hank Kelley, foreman of the 200910 grand jury, said the public should be interested in the findings because the jury's mission is to ensure government operates properly and spends taxpayer money appropriately.

"Are they doing it efficiently? Is there a better way to do it? Are there indications of malfeasance?" he asked. "We basically, for lack of a better term, are a civil watchdog."

The 2008-09 grand jury report "Is the City Car a Free Ride?" is available at the county's website http://grandjury.countyofventura.org; click on "reports."


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