Poll: Should District Agency Heads Have Government Cars and Drivers?

During public testimony Monday, Department of Public Works (DPW) Director William Howland told Council members that his job requires a government car and a driver at times.

"It's just difficult to get around to meetings just on public transportation" he said, according to the Washington Examiner.

Back-to-back meetings downtown are the reason Howland said he sometimes needs a driver who can just drop him off, according to the Examiner.

Council member Mary Cheh, chair of the Committee on the Environment, Public Works, and Transportation, held a public hearing Monday to discuss two bills that would impact the fleet of vehicles D.C. leases for government use.

“The District owns or leases 6,000 vehicles for official use. It’s vital that we use our vehicles in an energy efficient way and streamline our operations to save money” said Cheh in a press release.

During the hearing, Council member Tommy Wells reportedly rejected Howland's argument.

I’m not willing to hear that because you have a lot of meetings, you have to have a car and possibly a driver because you can’t park there," said Wells, according to the Examiner.