CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- With all the coverage of late regarding use of state vehicles for commuting and personal travel, a new ruling from the state Public Employees Grievance Board shows just how ingrained the supposed entitlement to a state car can be in some agencies.

The grievance, filed by then-state Parkways Authority employees Terry Cook, Benny McKinney, Paul Perdue, Greg Wriston and Gary Dickens, claimed that Parkways general manager Greg Barr had discriminated against them by eliminating an authority policy that permitted employees to commute in Parkways' vehicles.

(Parkways operated much as the Division of Highways does today, allowing employees to keep up their agency vehicle at the Parkways facility closest to their home, and drive it to their work location -- with that portion of the commute "on the clock" as work hours.)

Mandated by Gov. Joe Manchin in 2007 to cut operating costs, Barr rewrote Parkways policies to eliminate use of Parkways vehicles for commuting.

(In his testimony, Barr said the change will save Parkways between $65,000 and $100,000 a year.)

In denying the grievance, ALJ Landon Brown said the employees had "failed to prove any claims of discrimination or any entitlement to receive benefits extended under the previous policy."

Talked to one state employee who said he has sent letters to Govs. Underwood, Wise and Manchin, suggesting that West Virginia should follow Pennsylvania's lead and put GPS tracking devices on state cars in an effort to cut back on personal use of state vehicles.

Interestingly, he said, none of the three administrations ever responded to his letters.

Speaking of upset employees, Department of Environmental Protection staffers got word last week that, now that the agency has an electronic system to track employees' work hours and leave time, employees whose unexcused leave time exceeds 5 percent will be called in for evaluation.

One memo explains: "Employees need to understand that DEP has 148 employees who have leave use greater than 5 percent. Some are as high as 15 percent. If you work beside someone who is abusing their leave, you know it because you're picking up their slack and it's probably making you angry."

Melinda Campbell, administrative services manager for the DEP, said current state personnel policy allows agencies to track leave time and discipline those whose unexcused absences are extensive. However, she said that just wasn't practical prior to the electronic tracking system.

"It just becomes unmanageable to try to look at it from paper timesheets," Campbell said.

She added, "I'm trying to let people know these are the rules. This is not threatening."

Is it newfound frugality or a way of sending a message? When the Council of State Governments holds its annual meeting Nov. 12-15 at the La Quinta Resort in La Quinta, Calif., Gov. Manchin will be presiding as council president.

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- With all the coverage of late regarding use of state vehicles for commuting and personal travel, a new ruling from the state Public Employees Grievance Board shows just how ingrained the supposed entitlement to a state car can be in some agencies.

The grievance, filed by then-state Parkways Authority employees Terry Cook, Benny McKinney, Paul Perdue, Greg Wriston and Gary Dickens, claimed that Parkways general manager Greg Barr had discriminated against them by eliminating an authority policy that permitted employees to commute in Parkways' vehicles.

(Parkways operated much as the Division of Highways does today, allowing employees to keep up their agency vehicle at the Parkways facility closest to their home, and drive it to their work location -- with that portion of the commute "on the clock" as work hours.)

Mandated by Gov. Joe Manchin in 2007 to cut operating costs, Barr rewrote Parkways policies to eliminate use of Parkways vehicles for commuting.

(In his testimony, Barr said the change will save Parkways between $65,000 and $100,000 a year.)

In denying the grievance, ALJ Landon Brown said the employees had "failed to prove any claims of discrimination or any entitlement to receive benefits extended under the previous policy."

Talked to one state employee who said he has sent letters to Govs. Underwood, Wise and Manchin, suggesting that West Virginia should follow Pennsylvania's lead and put GPS tracking devices on state cars in an effort to cut back on personal use of state vehicles.

Interestingly, he said, none of the three administrations ever responded to his letters.

Speaking of upset employees, Department of Environmental Protection staffers got word last week that, now that the agency has an electronic system to track employees' work hours and leave time, employees whose unexcused leave time exceeds 5 percent will be called in for evaluation.

One memo explains: "Employees need to understand that DEP has 148 employees who have leave use greater than 5 percent. Some are as high as 15 percent. If you work beside someone who is abusing their leave, you know it because you're picking up their slack and it's probably making you angry."

Melinda Campbell, administrative services manager for the DEP, said current state personnel policy allows agencies to track leave time and discipline those whose unexcused absences are extensive. However, she said that just wasn't practical prior to the electronic tracking system.

"It just becomes unmanageable to try to look at it from paper timesheets," Campbell said.

She added, "I'm trying to let people know these are the rules. This is not threatening."

Is it newfound frugality or a way of sending a message? When the Council of State Governments holds its annual meeting Nov. 12-15 at the La Quinta Resort in La Quinta, Calif., Gov. Manchin will be presiding as council president.

(In fact, he and first lady Gayle Manchin will be hosting a conference luncheon on Nov. 13.)

Unlike the 2007 CSG meeting, when 26 legislators went to Puerto Rico (and West Virginia had the largest delegation of any state at the conference), or 2008, when nine legislators went to Oklahoma City, no delegates are signed up to attend this year's meeting.

Meanwhile, some more names of state employees who claimed payroll deductions for the commuting value of state vehicles:

(For point of reference, all the names are for calendar year 2008, the most recent complete set of Code 115 filings available from the state Auditor's Office.)

State Police (11): Nazim Abbess II, Cecil Chapman, Gibson Clark, Steven Cook, William Dean, David DeBord, Irvin Evans, William Gibson, Charles Long, David Saffel, Clarence Smith Jr.

Lottery Commission (13): Barbara Alexander, David Bradley, Robert Hammond, Gene Herndon, Robert Humphrey, Johnny Jackson, Gary Kincaid, Gordon Koegler, Randall Olenick, Ronald Osmianski, Marion Rose, Earl Stemple, James Townsend.

Division of Motor Vehicles (21): Christopher Bell, Kenton Cecil, Joseph Cicchirillo, William Cox, Michael Deem, Robert DeLong, William Freeman, Marcy Grishkevich, Kathie Holland, Amy Humen, Daniel McAtee, James P. McGraw, Kenneth Pingley, Lou Ann Proctor, Jeanna Renzelli, John Rundle, Stephen Shelton, Mitchell Shupp, Donald C. Whitten II, Russell Williams, William Wilson.

(Grand finale next week, promise . . .)

Talley Sergent, who has worked for U.S. Senator Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., state Treasurer John Perdue and in Anne Barth's campaign for Congress, starts work today at the U.S. State Department as communications director in the Office to Combat and Monitor Human Trafficking. Sergent, a UNC grad -- congrats on the win Thursday -- is a former aide to then-presidential candidate and current Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Finally, immediately prior to her appointment to the State Department, Sergent had been doing advance work for public appearances by President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden.

In fact, her last assignment in that capacity was to staff Biden's visit to Warsaw, Poland.

No confirmation as to whether she served as Biden's translator on the trip. (And by that I mean, translating Bidenisms into English . . .)

Reach Phil Kabler at ph...@wvgazette.com or 304-348-1220.