State fleet under scrutiny
By: WCIA-3 News
Updated: March 18, 2013
SPRINGFIELD -- One lawmaker is trying to scale back the state's fleet. She says it's too big and expensive.
Rep. Sue Scherer (D -Decatur), introduced a bill to sell some of the state's vehicles, specifically the new ones. It's not just cars, she's also targeting planes and helicopters. Any aircraft not used for emergencies or training would have to go.
Money from the sales would be given to the state budget. She says the budget needs all the help it can get.
"We don't have the money, plain and simple. We don't have the money, we need to cut back wherever we can. Times are tight, and this isn't the time to be spending money on things that we don't need," Scherer said.
An audit done by the state found some problems with the fleet. Some workers weren't using their cars enough. There also wasn't a good system to log mileage.
Critics say a few bad apples shouldn't ruin it for everyone. Similar proposals have popped up before, but Scherer's confident hers will pass.
Rep. Sue Scherer (D -Decatur), introduced a bill to sell some of the state's vehicles, specifically the new ones. It's not just cars, she's also targeting planes and helicopters. Any aircraft not used for emergencies or training would have to go.
Money from the sales would be given to the state budget. She says the budget needs all the help it can get.
"We don't have the money, plain and simple. We don't have the money, we need to cut back wherever we can. Times are tight, and this isn't the time to be spending money on things that we don't need," Scherer said.
An audit done by the state found some problems with the fleet. Some workers weren't using their cars enough. There also wasn't a good system to log mileage.
Critics say a few bad apples shouldn't ruin it for everyone. Similar proposals have popped up before, but Scherer's confident hers will pass.
