Fleet Week in Review

Using a recently released report from the Department of Administrative Services and its own independent investigation into the data, the Josiah Bartlett Center is publishing a series of stories on its investigative journalism website, NewHampshireWatchdog.org.

Monday:  NH state workers drive 1.5 million personal miles a year

Tuesday: NH takes the keys from Liquor Commissioners

Wednesday: DRED Commissioner defends giving Cannon GM “Company Car”

Thursday:  NH DOT claims employees save money taking home state cars

Friday: Some NH Commissioners keep state cars, some lose them

Among the investigation’s findings:

• New Hampshire state employees drove state-owned vehicles more than 1.5 million miles in Fiscal Year 2011, more than enough to drive around the Earth six times or to make three round-trips to the Moon.
• 233 state-owned vehicles, or 12% of the state’s fleet, has more than 15% of their miles used for non-business use.
• 61 state vehicles racked up more non-business miles than official miles last year, and 135 logged more than 5,000 non-business miles.
• Several New Hampshire Commissioners used their state-owned vehicle for extensive non-business use.
• 14 vehicles exceeding 15% non-business use were redistributed within the state fleet, while 218 were retained.
• Allowing state employees to use state vehicles rather than reimbursing them for their official travel cost taxpayers more than $1,000 each for more than 50 vehicles.