Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
OGDEN, Utah (AP) -- Ogden's management services director drives a city-owned Hummer, but he has to pay extra and also pay for the gasoline.
As a city department manager, Mark Johnson receives a $375 monthly vehicle allowance.
He pays an additional $75 a month for use of the 2004 Hummer H2. The city pays insurance and maintenance for the Hummer and the other vehicles in its fleet.
Johnson said his selection of the Hummer was a personal decision.
"It's more of a recreational, fun thing for me," he said.
Johnson said the public should not be concerned about his use of the Hummer because he pays for the gasoline and relies on the vehicle primarily for local transportation.
"How I choose to spend my discretionary money is my business," he said.
The Hummer H2 has a fuel-economy rating of 10 miles per gallon for city driving and 13 miles per gallon on the highway, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Other city officials receiving monthly vehicle allowances include Chief Administrative Officer John Patterson, $525; Mayor Matthew Godfrey, $300; and several division directors who each receive $200.
The city bought the Hummer, which has about 20,000 miles on it, about a month ago from Hertz Car Sales in Ogden. It traded in a 2004 Chevrolet Tahoe that Johnson had been driving for two years.
Ogden has an agreement to buy vehicles from Hertz and then sell them back to the company every two years at a predetermined, guaranteed price, said Richard Brookins, the city's manager of fleet and facilities maintenance.
Johnson's vehicle is scheduled to be resold to Hertz in 2008 for $27,400.
Eligible municipal employees can either drive their own car and pocket the monthly allowance or apply the allowance to the vehicle of their choice bought by the city, Brooks said.
They must pay the difference if the cost for their city-owned vehicle exceeds their allowance, he said.
Ogden Community and Economic Development Director Dave Harmer said he uses his own car for city business and considers his monthly vehicle allowance as supplemental income.
"I didn't need another car," he said. "If you go through the city (to get a vehicle), you have to do tax reporting and I didn't want to mess with it."
(Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
