FORT EDWARD, NY - Over the past year, Washington County officials have been assessing the number of vehicles used by county employees with a renewed focus on where they are driven and how many are taken home by county employees, according to The Post-Star.

"There needs to be a good reason why we're taking these vehicles home," said Board of Supervisors Chairman Donald Wilbur. "We're looking at anything we can do to reduce the number of vehicles we take home and make the system more efficient."

Veterans Services Director Sam Hall has been conducting an efficiency study on the usage of the 138 county-owned vehicles by public employees. Hall is working on determining which departments use the most cars, how many vehicles are taken home by employees, and where the cars are driven.

The county vehicles that are assigned to specific departments, such as Public Works or the Sheriff's Office. The departments make the car payments and pay for upkeep and gasoline on the vehicles, according to the Star.

The Department of Public Works currently allows 14 vehicles to be taken home, the most of any county department, the Star reported.

Hall's final report on vehicle use is expected by the end of the year.

Wilbur, the board chairman, said the county could reduce its fleet to save money, reported the Star.