Jackson Jambalaya

What's new? Last week I saw a Department of Corrections employee in uniform grocery shopping at Wal-Mart. Going to lunch? Grab the state vehicle and pile in. And speaking of cars, MDOT maintenance personnel routinely travel back and forth to their homes. Why do they need these vehicles overnight? Don't give me that BS about them being on call.

Does he State show this as income on the W-2 as required by law?

What's with the MDOT car all wrapped up in "THINK GREEN"? We got roads and bridges that need fixing!

I have seen several city of Jackson vehicles used to drive to lunch at Saltine's, Babalu, etc. Even saw one of the Mayor's staff take a city vehicle home and drive it to work the next day. Am I too republican, is it just me?

wonder what kind of liability insurance MDE is carrying on this van? What happens if a child is injured or killed as a result of an auto accident? Does MDE know that children are being transported in the vehicle?

Miss. Code Ann. 25-1-79- Use of State Automobiles

It shall be unlawful for any officer, employee or other person whatsoever to use or permit or authorize the use of any automobile or any other motor vehicle owned by the State of Mississippi or any department, agency or institution thereof for any purpose other than upon the official business of the State of Mississippi or any agency, department or institution thereof. Further, it shall be unlawful for any such officer or employee to be paid or to receive any sums whatsoever for travel expense until the expenses for which payment is made, and each item thereof, have been actually incurred by such officer or employee, and then only upon the presentation of an itemized expense account which shall be approved in writing by the head of the department, agency or institution on whose behalf such travel is performed. However, it is expressly provided that any such officer or employee traveling on business for and in behalf of the State of Mississippi may, strictly in the discretion of an agency, institution or department head, receive in advance from state funds for the purpose of such travel expense a sum to be specified by such aforementioned superior. Further, strict account of any sum so advanced must be kept in accord with Section 25-1-81.

On the other hand, and perhaps playing devil's advocate, this is a driver-ed vehicle. I assume they use a van in order to haul/deliver/transport driver-ed materials. Surely they don't use it to teach kids to drive. But, if my theory is correct, they may be delivering materials to this school to be used in classroom instruction.

The photographer does not identify the location, time of day, building, driver or purpose.

No wonder American productivity has stagnated so badly....this many people have time to post on a blog about a topic for which they have no facts. Call the state auditor if you have the facts. Or just keep typing.

This message came along with the photo:

I wish I had a state vehicle and state paid for gas to drop my kids off and pick them up from daycare. This is at a Florence daycare. Incidentally, this same guy lives in my neighborhood and drives this vehicle home every day. I thought they had cracked down on taking the vehicles home??

This was taken at a daycare where there are not any children of driving age in attendance.

At one point, the state auditor got caught commuting back and forth to work each day from Laurel. He never wrote himself a letter demanding a return of the funds. Commuting is considered personal use.

10:54 enjoys his state vehicle too. And, amazingly has spare time to post to blog sites.

Massive land scam with BP money on the coast.

Fight climate change and make big bux.

Dam the Pascagoula and sell lake front lots.

You already know who has this deal wired up. The usual suspects.


http://www.wxxv25.com/news/local/story/Damming-the-Pascagoula-River/wWGPmXiYo0KzJ75ttiiHMg.cspx

I see city of Jackson work trucks, PD cars and Hinds SO cars in Madison county all the time. Coming out of the same subdivisions and parked at the same houses. I need to talk to my employer about a free company car and gas card.

nothing new here
One of the top MHP at the drivers license division
took & picked up his daughter everyday at same daycare
my daughter went to.
He would take the car seat out and store it in the trunk until
he picked her up at the end of the day

I see a Dept of Corrections SUV at my church every Sunday. Wonder if this government official use the vehicle as his personal transportation every day . As a taxpayer this just hacks me off. Where is Pickering or Hood? O yeah--- Pickering does nothing and Hood does prosecute family members!!

I hate government waste too, but if you have a kid in daycare what are you supposed to do? Do you leave early in another car and return home to get the state vehicle? Is it OK to stop to get a cup of coffee on the way to work or is that off limits too? This seems like nitpicking to me.

Don't call state auditor. He believes commuting in a state vehicle is ok (if you are the state auditor) and your commute is between Jackson and Jones County.

Whose insurance would be in effect if the state van runs over a child in the parking lot of the day care? Would the state be brought into lawsuit? If the answer is yes, why should I as a taxpayer be part of this suit? Also if there is a probation of liquor/ beer on state property no one should be stopping by getting an adult beverage.

Yes, 4:30, go home and get in your own frickin' vehicle and get out of mine. Don't whine about the inconvenience, either. You had the kid. You work it out.

@4:30pm - that's exactly what you are supposed to do. Might be a pain in the ass, but it keeps the state out of hot water if something happens when this state owned and taxpayer funded vehicle has an accident and a child in this vehicle or someone in another vehicle is injured or killed. Sometimes you have to go out of your way to follow the rules. Or, here's a thought - buy your own car to get back and forth to work in. Use the company vehicle while doing company business at work, NOT when you're off the clock and using my taxpayer funded gasoline to pick the kids up.

I believe you can forget the state auditor or the attorney general doing anything. Higher ranking state employees & elected officials have no respect for the law because there is no reason for them to fear the law. It would be hard to believe if there is a more corrupt state than MS. What taxpayer money is not wasted, is stolen!
I mentioned to some elected officials about them breaking the law: they just laughed. SA & AG r a joke!

If I wanted or needed a fringe like that I would get a job with the state. I prefer to drive my own and complain.

Why didn't Kingfish forward the photograph and details to the appropriate authorities and then comment (or not) on the results of that?

Word I get is that Queen Wright has a driver that comes with her car. Been seen picking her up in mornings and taking her downtown.

Lots of Mike Hurst stooges in this thread. Not surprising.

http://www.dfa.state.ms.us/Purchasing/Fleet/FormVMR1.pdf

@9:13
That's a really cute 19th century form you have there, but it seems that 'Fleet Management' needs a 1-800 number.

So many jealous people. If I had a state/county/city/company issued vehicle and if I passed my child's daycare on the way home, I would stop and pick up my child. I know I would. I might not stop at the grocery store, but then again I might do that too. As far as taxes, obviously they pay taxes too.

The problem is that the law makes NO exception for commuting in a state vehicle regardless of the official using it. The Gov,Lt Gov and Speaker get around this by having MHP security and using a MHP 65,000.00 vehicle. Pickering has a car, Santa Cruz has a car and Marshal Fisher has a car. Hank Bounds who made over $300K drove a car home everyday. Its a atleast a $5000.00 perk when you consider fuel,insurance, plus they do not have a car payment. but maybe I am nitpicking. I live in a small madison county neighborhood and there are MHP,City of Jackson, Hinds County, Wireless commission, and corrections vehicles in the driveways every night

And the little known, really sad fact is, if this employee is involved in a traffic crash on the way to or from home, they will be covered under workers' comp. Taxpayers will be on the hook for that too! Temp disability payments, medical bills, etc., not to mention they can claim the vehicle is part of their compensation package and that will elevate the amount of the temp disability payments.

PARK THE DAMN CAR!

I enjoy the theft deterring benefit of having several MCSO, MHP and Ridgeland PD vehicles parked in our neighborhood driveways.

A few posters mentioned MHP, but have no idea if that particular trooper is part of a special task force or MBI that requires constant access to the issued vehicle. Other posters are concerned with legal implications of such use at a daycare where a child could be run over. Hmmm, the men/women who are tasked with enforcing highway laws to protect our State's motorist can't be trusted to roll thru a parking lot? I'd much prefer the trooper's car to be at his house on his off day, just so he can respond that much faster to crazy events like we watched at Delta State this Tuesday. The same applies to every other division of law enforcement, be it campus, city, county or state.

We can all agree that non law enforcement personnel shouldn't be commuting or running personal errands in tax payer funded vehicles. The vehicles issued to law enforcement officers are useful tools, not a perk.

to answer your question 2:09 he was at the D.L testing on Woodrow Wilson
so its doubtful he was part of a " special task-force".

But if it was ok for him to do then why go to the trouble of taking
the car seat out every morning and placing in the trunk ?

The question is not what is OK with you its about the law. Many MHP employees take cars home and if they are not involved in an investigation they shouldnt be taking one home. Most MBI vehicles are unmarked along with the brass so that no one will see its a state vehicle which is also against the law UNLESS the govenor approves which he does for hundreds of cars. A good number of uniformed troopers work at drivers license stations and are never out on a call. Regardless the law states that no vehicle shall be used to commute. So if we ignore that law what other laws should we deem as petty and ignore.

I know of a few state employees who don't even own personal vehicles, they use their state car for EVERYTHING. One them got into an accident while they were driving their child to daycare -- thankfully the child wasn't injured, but the agency's management made excuse after excuse for her...

As for the troopers taking cars home, many of them do not report to an office every day for a typical "roll call" and they start their shift when they leave their driveway, this I can understand. As for the folks who report to an office every day (driver's license, admin, etc.) they should park the damn cars, those positions should be held by civilians anyway.

With exception to SWAT and other special teams who need to be rapidly mobile, the threshold should be VERY high to prove the need for a take home car. This is an easy expense for the state to cut, and presents an easily eliminated risk to the taxpayers.