FCHA gives director choice from its fleet
After years of wrangling, we’ll agree with Fayette County Housing authority solicitor John M. “Jack” Purcell that it makes sense to put the issue of Executive Director Thomas L. Harkless’ vehicle use to bed. The five-person authority board this week told Harkless to take his pick of 22 vehicles in the authority fleet. That means Harkless won’t be getting a new $27,346 sport utility vehicle. Nor will be keep collecting $650 per month from the authority as a stipend for using his personal vehicle for authority business.
The troubling remnant of this saga is this: Harkless still gets to use the vehicle for unlimited personal use within Fayette County, in addition to FCHA-related work outside the county. That’s per a resolution adopted nearly a year ago.
The confusion over Harkless’ vehicle use can be traced to his hiring several years ago, in a motion that was unclear about what kind of wheels he’d get to use, and for what purpose. He initially used a FCHA-supplied SUV, then was approved for the $650-per-month reimbursement under the logic that the outright payment actually saved the authority money.
No one can or should quibble with Harkless using a FCHA-supplied vehicle, or with him being reimbursed for using his own vehicle, provided such usage is related to FCHA business. What is less palatable is permitting him, or any other public employee, to use such a perquisite for personal travel needs.
If Harkless took the job thinking that was the deal, he shouldn’t be faulted for wanting what he considers a negotiated condition of employment. But that benefit should have been spelled out clearly and concisely in the motion voted on by the board when it approved his hiring.
Because that wasn’t the case, Harkless’ vehicle use has become a lingering issue. New board Chairman Harry Fike believes that as the FCHA’s top administrator, Harkless “is our leader and he should definitely have a vehicle available.”
Fike did an inventory of the FCHA’s fleet and found that of 22 vehicles, between one and four vehicles were available at any given time. That should give Harkless a pretty good selection in terms of motoring around. He won’t be tooling around in a new $27,000 SUV, but he shouldn’t have to bum a ride or call a cab.
Purcell says the guiding motion in this matter essentially means Harkless is always on duty. That strikes us as a bit of a stretch; Harkless may always be on call, but that doesn’t mean he’s on duty.
We have nothing against Harkless, but the use of any taxpayer-subsidized vehicle by any public employee for personal reasons is something that should be avoided.