Ohio Town Considers Installing GPS Devices in Vehicles

Lisbon, the county seat of Columbiana County, is a town of roughly 2,800 citizens and is located in the northeast quadrant of Ohio. In July of 2013, the village’s Board of Public Affairs (BPA) debated the idea of equipping the town’s vehicles with GPS devices at a monthly cost of $15 per device after the initial purchase price, which is between $300 and $400.

The GPS technology could be used by village sewer and water employees to more easily find addresses, of course. But the main reason the village is considering installing them is to keep employees accountable for their time and location while on the clock. In 2012 the village’s Board of Public Affairs saw gasoline purchases for their vehicles increase by nearly 30 percent, but committee members were unable to ascertain why there had been such an increase. As a result, the board began requiring employees to keep a written log for mileage and gasoline purchases while using the town’s vehicles. This resulted in an immediate, significant decrease in gasoline purchases. Installation of GPS devices would be a possible next step in this accountability process with the goal of further decreasing gasoline consumption.

According to the BPA, once installed, the GPS tracking devices would allow the town’s public works department to monitor:

• Each vehicle’s speed


• Each vehicle’s location


• Whether the driver is using a cell phone

The installation of GPS devices in vehicles driven by city or county employees seems to be a growing trend, at least in Ohio. Trumbull County and the city of Youngstown, among others, already have such a program.

While solving some problems, installation of GPS devices may create others. One question is, if a GPS device indicates an employee was using a cell phone while driving, would the village be held liable if leadership did not prosecute the employee for his infraction? Another issue some may raise is the issue of personal privacy—is it right for the town’s government to know everywhere an employee goes in one of its vehicles, how long he stays, and whether he’s using a cell phone?

The Lisbon BPA hopes that the GPS program will increase village employees’ accountability while at the same time reducing gasoline consumption and reducing their fleet’s carbon footprint.

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Ohio Town Considers Installing GPS Devices in Vehicles