Drafter
Clerk 10/15/2007
Title
AN ORDINANCE relating to the promotion of energy efficiency and clean vehicle technology in King County's fleet; and amending Ordinance 10930, Sections 3-4, as amended, and K.C.C. 3.30.030.
Body
PREAMBLE:
King County is a leader in clean vehicle technology with major investments in electric trolleybuses, hybrid diesel-electric buses and hybrid gasoline-electric automobiles and early conversion to ultra-low sulfur diesel and biodiesel. By Motion 12362 the metropolitan King County council initiated the development of the 2007 King County Climate Plan, which calls for the county to further increase use of clean transportation technologies in its fleets, including hybrid diesel-electric trucks and plug-in hybrid-electric automobiles and to implement electric, hybrid-electric and hydrogen fuel cell demonstration projects. By Executive Order PUT 7-6 (AEO) the King County executive initiated development of the 2007 King County Energy Plan and established targets for increased energy efficiency and renewable energy use by 2012, 2015 and 2020. On September 19, 2007, the executive announced King County's participation in the Puget Sound Regional Green Fleet Initiative.
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF KING COUNTY:
SECTION 1. The executive shall report on the process for development and adoption of regional green fleet standards and the possible establishment of a regional clean vehicle certification program by King County and the other local governments participating in the Green Fleets Initiative. Eleven copies of the report shall be filed with the clerk of the council by December 1, 2007, for distribution to all councilmembers.
SECTION 2. Ordinance 10930, Sections 3-4, as amended, and K.C.C. 3.30.030 are each hereby amended to read as follows:
The ((C))council wishes to restrict the number of take-home vehicles provided to county employees. To accomplish this objective, the following policies and criteria shall be used as the basis for authorizing take-home vehicle assignments:
A. ((Take-home vehicle policies:)) 1. For county business before or after normal working hours, providing motor pool dispatch vehicles or travel reimbursement is preferred over the assignment of take-home vehicles.
2. The assignment of a take-home vehicle is neither a privilege, nor a right of any county employee.
3. Take-home vehicle assignments shall not be made based on employee merit or employee status.
4. Wherever possible, county vehicles shall be picked up and dropped off at designated county parking areas, thereby avoiding the assignment of take-home vehicles.
B. Take-home vehicle assignment criteria:
1.a. ((Emergency response.)) Take-home vehicles may be assigned to county employees who:
((a.)) (1) ((H))have primary responsibility to respond to emergency situations ((which)) that require immediate response to protect life or property;
((b.)) (2) ((R))respond to emergencies at least twelve times per quarter;
((c.)) (3) ((C))cannot use alternative forms of transportation to respond to emergencies; and
((d.)) (4) ((C))cannot pick up county-owned assigned vehicles at designated sites.
b. Emergency response assignments shall be supported by data demonstrating the actual number and nature of emergency responses in the prior year, and estimates of future emergency responses. In addition, there must be an explanation why an employee cannot use alternative forms of transportation to respond to the emergencies or pick up county owned assigned vehicles at designated parking areas.
2. ((Economic benefit to the county.)) Take-home vehicles may be assigned if employee travel reimbursement costs are greater than the commuting costs associated with overnight vehicle usage. Lost productivity costs, the cost of the time it takes an employee to travel from a designated county parking facility to ((their)) the employee's work station, shall not be included in the calculation of economic benefit to the county. In addition, there must be an explanation why an employee cannot use alternative forms of transportation or pick up county owned vehicles at designated parking areas.
3. ((Special equipment vehicles.)) Take-home vehicles may be assigned if an employee needs specialized equipment or a special vehicle to perform county work outside an employee's normally scheduled work day. Employees taking a county vehicle home must have primary responsibility to respond to emergencies. Special equipment vehicle assignments shall be supported by information describing the special equipment needed to perform the county work. The need for communication access ((()), such as car radio, telephone((, etc.))) and similar devices, shall not be considered adequate justification for a take-home vehicle assignment.
4. Special clean transportation technology demonstration vehicles may be assigned to county employees for a limited duration in order to promote and demonstrate the viability of low-emission, energy-efficient technologies and fossil fuel alternatives. To encourage the maximum public visibility of clean technology demonstration vehicles, employees authorized to use the vehicles may also use them both before or after normal working hours, and may use them as a take home vehicle to encourage such visibility as
an official public use. Incidental personal benefit or convenience from such a public use does not constitute personal use.