Yes, we do feel mildly ashamed that we had to reference an Ashton Kutcher movie in the title, but given the news, it’s relatively fitting.
According to an article in the Washington Times, an audit of the division of the D.C. Department of Public Works that oversees city-owned vehicles found that it hasn’t done that great a job keeping track of them — all told, some 13 vehicles have been outright lost over the years. Moreover, the audit found 23,000 miles of unexplained travel on city vehicles, though it did not claim that any of the vehicles in questions had been misused.
The city maintains a fleet of 3,000 vehicles worth $83 million. The Fleet Management Administration is charged with keeping tabs on their use and their whereabouts, though the audit, conducted by the Office of the Inspector-General, found that they’ve failed to conduct an inventory of the city fleet twice a year as required.
Someone somewhere is totally living it up in one of those money street cleaners.
Martin Austermuhle