Published: June 23, 2009 09:34 am      

Huge price tag — 06/23/09

Ashland pays way too much for vehicle for city manager

These are the times that call for frugality in government spending on the state and local level. Yet, at the same time legislators were meeting in Frankfort to trim nearly $1 billion in spending from the second year of the two-year budget they approved in 2008, the Ashland Board of City Commissioners were approving the spending of a whopping $48,000 for a new vehicle for City Manager Steve Corbitt.

We agree that the city manager, who oversees the city’s day-to-day operations, needs a good, dependable vehicle to drive as he makes his rounds, but why he would need a full-size hybrid vehicle costing far more than what most Ashland residents could afford is beyond us. A vehicle costing a fraction of that amount would have seem to have met his needs just as well.

To be sure, the city of Ashland has not experienced the decline in tax receipts that approaches the level that the state has experienced, but layoffs and business closing are bound to negatively impact the city’s revenue from payroll and property taxes.

With many residents of the city feeling the impact of nationwide recession, the city could set a positive example by not spending more than what is absolutely necessary. Even if the economy were booming and the city was rolling in tax dollars, spending $48,000 for a vehicle that will be used by one employee would be a waste.

One good thing is that the new vehicle is a hybrid. We assume that means Corbitt will be using less fuel as he drives around in his luxury vehicle. But then there are a lot of hybrids on the market for a lot less than $48,000.