State officials announced they finally have an accurate number of vehicles the state owns. They also said recent efforts to reduce the number of state vehicles should help the state save hundreds of thousands of dollars in insurance costs.
A law passed last year created a permanent Fleet Management Division in the Department of Administration. It also required annual reporting and continual tracking of the state’s vehicle fleet. The legislation was designed to establish more transparency and reduce government waste.
Chairman of the House Committee on Government Organization Gary Howell (R-Mineral) reported in a press release that the state owns 8,380 vehicles — a number that has been difficult to calculate in the past.
The state will insure 4,000 fewer vehicles this year than last year. Various state departments have worked to reduce fleet sizes during that time.
Howell said the reduction will save taxpayers about $400,000 in insurance costs.