Published: September 06, 2008 01:17 pm            

More talk about cars to-go in Jeffersonville

A proposal to keep Jeffersonville take-home vehicles from leaving city limits is expected to receive additional consideration Monday by the City Council.

The ordinance’s author, however, isn’t sure if the proposal has the support to pass in its current form.

The council meets at 7:30 p.m. Monday at Jeffersonville City Hall, 500 Quartermaster Court. A work session and Jeffersonville Parks Authority meeting also are scheduled earlier in the meeting.

The idea was initially brought up last month as a means of saving fuel.

Under the proposal, take-home vehicles would not be allowed to leave the city. That would mean police and other officials living outside city limits would have to leave their cars in a city parking lot and take their personal vehicles home.

The ordinance also calls for take-home vehicle users within the city to pay a $50-per-month fee.

“I’m not sure what the end result is going to be,” said Council President Ed Zastawny, who introduced the issue.

Some council members — and Mayor Tom Galligan — spoke against the proposal when it was introduced.

However, suggestions have been made.

Councilman Nathan Samuel proposed allowing officials living out of town to keep take-home cars, but charging them a higher fee than other users.

“My whole thought process is I didn’t want us to have a knee-jerk reaction,” he said. “I think there’s a lot of value in having [police cars] out on the streets.”

Samuel has been in contact with officials from Jeffersontown, Ky., a department of similar size that charges officers fees based on the distance they live from headquarters.

Those living within a five-mile radius, for example, pay less than those living in a five-to10-mile radius.

Zastawny said there also has been talk of making the take-home policy a part of police union contract negotiations, which are under way this month.

“That’s a good thought, because it’s not part of the discussion right now,” Samuel said.

On the other hand, take-home cars are not just a police issue and he said he would want an across-the-board policy.

The ordinance passed on its first reading more than a month ago. The second reading was on the agenda during the last meeting, but was tabled.



In other business

• An update is on the agenda to modify the city’s sanitation ordinance to require residents to have a specific type of trash can. Residents have a choice between 48- and 96-gallon cans, which the city is selling for $60. A new truck that automatically will pick up the specially shaped trash cans will soon be purchased.

        

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