SC's next treasurer: No state car for officers

By SEANNA ADCOX

COLUMBIA, S.C.

South Carolina's next treasurer says no statewide officer should drive a taxpayer-funded ride, calling it an unnecessary perk for politicians amid deep budget cuts.

But officials contend the vehicles are needed to crisscross the state, and that driving the Fords and Chevys is cheaper than getting reimbursed for mileage or taking the state plane.

Businessman Curtis Loftis, who has no Democratic opponent in November, won the June 8 primary after hammering incumbent Treasurer Converse Chellis on his state-provided Chevy Tahoe, calling it a "taxpayer funded luxury SUV."

But Chellis isn't alone. All statewide officers and many agency directors drive assigned vehicles. State law dating to 1978 requires they be offered one. And the monthly lease for Chellis', at $426, is cheaper than many. The lease range for vehicles assigned through the Budget and Control Board is $312 to $546. Fill ups go on state gas cards.

Loftis says it's time to get rid of such perks for elected officials, though for security reasons, he makes an exception for the governor, who is driven by law enforcement agencies. Loftis pledges to drive his own car when he takes office in January, though he plans to get reimbursed for work mileage, such as to banks and county finance officers. He drives a Ford Escape Hybrid but is car shopping.

Vehicles for most agency directors should be parked too, he said.

"It's just a great perk, is what it is. Everybody would like not to have a car payment, a gas payment, insurance and taxes," Loftis said. "With our lean economic times, it's a perfect opportunity for the state to look at all of these perks and do away with most of them."

Officials counter that, while the idea may sound good to voters, it could end up costing more.

"The attorney general is required to be in locations across the state and out of state. Using an automobile to do that is a very conservative, economically sound way to accomplish the state's business," said Mark Plowden, spokesman for Attorney General Henry McMaster, who's issued a 2007 Ford Crown Victoria, adding that "is in no way a perk."

For officers who must be on the road a lot, it's economical, said Jim Foster, spokesman for education Superintendent Jim Rex.

For example, in 2009, Rex logged nearly 57,000 miles on his 2007 Ford Five Hundred - 85 percent of them on the job. He reimbursed the state for 850 campaigning miles and paid taxes on the nearly 8,400 used to commute, Foster said. If he'd driven his own car and gotten reimbursed at 50.5 cents per mile for work travel, taxpayers would have paid him $24,000 last year alone - or more than what the state paid for the car.

"The perk in it is the commuting value, but the state clearly over the life of the car is saving a ton of money," Foster said.

The only other officer known to decline a state vehicle is former Treasurer Thomas Ravenel, whom Chellis replaced in 2007. Chellis chose the Tahoe in 2008 after the state had made a bulk buy of SUVs, making the monthly payment cheaper than a Crown Victoria, which he was previously assigned, said his spokesman, Scott Malyerck.

Earlier this year, Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer also picked a Tahoe after turning in a 2006 Crown Victoria with more than 125,000 miles. It was the better value and could fit Bauer, his security detail and staff, said spokesman John Legare.

Agriculture Commissioner Hugh Weathers didn't need a state vehicle for three years, because General Motors provided him a truck to help promote E-85 fuel. But that partnership ended last year, and Weathers needs a reliable state vehicle to travel to rural farms and local farmers markets, said his spokesman Becky Walton.

Loftis contends the better way to do it is require officers to check a car out from the state fleet when it's needed, rather than having one assigned. In response, Malyerck said, "It's pretty inconvenient when you're constantly traveling to get a vehicle signed out and signed in."

Nationwide, policies on state-provided vehicles vary widely, with some like South Carolina, some providing them to fewer people, and others not assigning any, but allowing check-outs through state fleets. In Louisiana, officers either get a car or an allowance. In California, legislators drive state-issued vehicles and enjoy unchecked use of gasoline charge cards.

"Constitutional officers are always on call, meaning their work days never end, and their duties often include traveling the state," said R.J. Shealy, spokesman for Comptroller General Richard Eckstrom, adding the law allows their personal use, which they pay taxes on.

In 2006, Eckstrom reimbursed the state $669.40 for taking a state vehicle on a 2004 family vacation to his native Minnesota, which he called a "mistake in judgment." The State Ethics Commission investigated and found no wrongdoing.

He has not taken a state car out of state since, and refuses to be assigned a new one, Shealy said.

A spokesman for Gov. Mark Sanford said he believes use of state-owned vehicles can be trimmed back. "We believe it's overdone to a degree," spokesman Ben Fox said. Many agency leaders with state-provided vehicles are in Sanford's Cabinet.