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Facebook - WREG On Your Side Investigators
Twitter - @nc3investigates
keli.rabon@wreg.com
(Memphis 7/22/2010) Shannon Rees relies on public transportation for her daily commute.
"It's what I have to do to get to work," Rees said.
It's an hour-long bus ride from her home in Raleigh to her job as a dental assistant in downtown Memphis -- a ride that requires planning and patience.
"It runs twice in the morning and twice in the evening. So if you're not on the 5 o'clock bus, which is the last bus going out there, you can't get to the area I live in," Rees said.
But there's another form of public transportation that isn't so bumpy. Hundreds of City of Memphis employees have cars they use for free. Those cars are paid for by taxpayers.
"It kinda burns me up, makes me a little hot. Especially when it's unnecessary and they don't really need the vehicle," Rees said.
City Councilman Kemp Conrad has been looking into the city's take-home car program for more than a year.
"It should be a necessity not a perk. There are a lot of people out there that have take-home cars that don't need them," Conrad said.
You might expect people like the Mayor to have a city-owned vehicle, and he does. But the On Your Side Investigators found a grant writer who drives this car to and from work.
"It would seem that a grant writer would not need a car," Conrad said.
We also found 13 unmarked SUVs belonging to Fire Department Division Chiefs and Assistant Fire Marshals. You wouldn't know by looking at the 2010 Ford Expeditions that they are actually city vehicles.
"I know we have a lot of marked fire cars and I'd think they should all be marked," Conrad said.
- The City of Memphis "take-home car" fleet currently contains 252 vehicles.
- A new city policy will re-examine every vehicle assignment in the fleet.
- The city could see a potential savings of up to $100,000 per year.
Facebook - WREG On Your Side Investigators
Twitter - @nc3investigates
keli.rabon@wreg.com
(Memphis 7/22/2010) Shannon Rees relies on public transportation for her daily commute.
"It's what I have to do to get to work," Rees said.
It's an hour-long bus ride from her home in Raleigh to her job as a dental assistant in downtown Memphis -- a ride that requires planning and patience.
"It runs twice in the morning and twice in the evening. So if you're not on the 5 o'clock bus, which is the last bus going out there, you can't get to the area I live in," Rees said.
But there's another form of public transportation that isn't so bumpy. Hundreds of City of Memphis employees have cars they use for free. Those cars are paid for by taxpayers.
"It kinda burns me up, makes me a little hot. Especially when it's unnecessary and they don't really need the vehicle," Rees said.
City Councilman Kemp Conrad has been looking into the city's take-home car program for more than a year.
"It should be a necessity not a perk. There are a lot of people out there that have take-home cars that don't need them," Conrad said.
You might expect people like the Mayor to have a city-owned vehicle, and he does. But the On Your Side Investigators found a grant writer who drives this car to and from work.
"It would seem that a grant writer would not need a car," Conrad said.
We also found 13 unmarked SUVs belonging to Fire Department Division Chiefs and Assistant Fire Marshals. You wouldn't know by looking at the 2010 Ford Expeditions that they are actually city vehicles.
"I know we have a lot of marked fire cars and I'd think they should all be marked," Conrad said.
