COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KOAA) — Colorado Springs Mayor Yemi Mobolade has put a new policy in place governing the personal use of city-owned vehicles by elected officials, following a city audit that raised questions about his use of a city car and his security detail.
Some members of city council are not happy with the policy, and this week, they are looking at changing it.
Under the new policy, he could drive a city-owned car for personal use and reimburse the city for mileage. A city-owned vehicle can also be used for "incidental" errands on the way to city business, as long as it is reported to the IRS as a fringe benefit.
City Council President Pro-Tem Brian Risley is not happy about the policy.
"I think it sends the message that the mayor believes that city resources are entirely at his disposal for whatever he deems to be appropriate," Risley said.
"I just don't think that this regulation does anything or is helpful," Risley said.
The mayor's announcement came after a March report released by the city auditor showed he had his security detail accompany him on errands like picking up dry cleaning and going to his kids' school events in between city events. The audit report also showed his wife drove a city vehicle for about 150 miles last year.
The mayor also revealed in a news release about his policy that he took a city car to Crested Butte in March. That same release says he has since paid the city about $380.
"So this was a very reactionary response in my opinion, and again, don't think that just because you can use a vehicle doesn't mean you should use a vehicle. Just because you can use city resources doesn't mean that it's right," Risley said.
Risley is also concerned about insurance and liability, specifically when it comes to spouses driving city vehicles. He says the liability policy for city vehicles does not cover spouses.
In his news release, the mayor defended the new policy, saying it "reflects my commitment to clear expectations and responsible use of taxpayer dollars." He went on to say: "Existing policy allowed certain personal use of City-owned vehicles, but this regulation provides clearer guidance and stronger consistency moving forward and holds me and the Office of the Mayor to a higher standard."
A review found few local governments that allow for total personal use of city vehicles by elected officials. However, similar to one element of the mayor's new policy, Jefferson County, Colorado, does allow its employees to run errands during work time, as long as it is reported to the IRS as a fringe benefit.
Councilman Roland Rainey was direct when asked whether elected officials should be using any city resources for personal use, regardless of whether they pay it back.
"Let me be very clear from council member Rainey's perspective. The answer is no. No. An elected official should not be using a government vehicle for personal uses," Rainey said.
Rainey said he feels updating the policy should have been a collaborative effort between the mayor and city council, and that it is a good idea for council to review the city's code of ethics.
That said, Rainey acknowledged there may be situations where it makes sense for an elected official to stop briefly on the way to a city event.
"There's intent. Right? Is it malicious in nature? No. If I'm driving to a city event and my kids' school or, you know, some event sporting event is on the way and I want go there quickly and spend thirty minutes to cheer him on on my way to the city event. Once again, I don't think a lot of residents would lose sleep over that," Rainey said.
In other situations, he does not feel personal use should be the norm.
"It's the malicious intent of, hey, I'm going to go out of my way to take a vehicle or check out a vehicle and take it on a two three day trip, that's not official government business. That's not the business of the city and I think that's what a heartburn would a lot of residents, that's what they would have," Rainey said.
The mayor does have support for his new policy on city council. Councilwoman Nancy Henjum told News 5 in a statement that she feels the mayor's policy puts guardrails in place, and she hopes city council will instead focus on public safety and housing affordability.
Councilwoman Henjum’s full statement:
“At a time when residents are focused on housing affordability, infrastructure, public safety, traffic congestion, and economic pressures, I want to see our City Council spending time addressing the very realchallenges we are facing with public safety, in particular growing concerns regarding needed resources for our fire department. The administration has addressed the issues identified by the audit with a policy that puts guardrails in place through reimbursement requirements, limits on family use, IRS reporting, and Police Chief oversight."
Councilwoman Nancy Henjum
City council is discussing updating the code of ethics to address this issue during Monday’s council work session.
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