MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Among the bills Gov. Jim Justice has signed so far this week is the legislation aimed at helping the state keep track of its vehicles.
House Bill 4015, which Justice signed Tuesday, moves the state Fleet Management Office to the Department of Administration as the Fleet Management Division. It also changes the color of license plates for state vehicles from the current green and white to blue and gold. The change with the license plate goes into effect Dec. 31.
House of Delegates Government Organization Chairman Government Organization Chairman Gary Howell, R-Mineral, said on Wednesday’s MetroNews “Talkline” said the state was having difficulties keeping track of vehicles, as some agencies would report information while others would not be required to do so.
“I think the average price of a vehicle right now is about $35,000 because we have everything like SUVs and one-ton trucks down to cars,” he said. “If we have 10,000 (vehicles,) that’s $350 million worth of vehicles and we can’t properly track it.”
Howell said there are no exempt agencies, and all state vehicles must be registered with the Fleet Management Division. Vehicles will also receive a discount for fuel.
“Before, all these exempt agencies didn’t get that,” he said. “That’s going to save the taxpayers money.”
Most state vehicles will be maintained through the state; West Virginia State Police and the Division of Highways will still be allowed to maintain their own maintenance program, and the highways division would be able to make bulk purchases of fuel.