That's because Mayor Jeremy Harris ordered 25 department directors and deputy directors to relinquish their take-home car privileges by the end of July.
The City Council ordered the policy in place by January 1997. But according to Managing Director Bob Fishman, Harris wanted it done earlier as a sign of good faith.
Instead of take-home vehicles, directors will be taking home $326 monthly in car allowance. Deputies will get $276.
Fishman said those numbers are the same as those given to state officials since 1991.
Police officers, by contrast, get between $450 and $500 a month in car allowance.
Some of the directors' cars will be put back into the city motor pool to replace older vehicles.
Others are to be auctioned off in coming months.
Council Budget Chairman Duke Bainum said he's glad to see the administration moving quickly on the directive.
But Bainum also believes the administration could have found a cheaper alternative.
He noted that Council members are paid either a stipend of $148 month or 37 cents a mile, whichever is greater.
"These rather hefty allowances rule out the possibility of cost-savings due to variations," he said.
Most of the directors' cars are 1988 to 1989 models. City vehicles are normally taken out of commission after eight years depending on the number of miles logged, Fishman said.
Council members had initially envisioned eliminating the take-home car privileges of more city employees.
But collective bargaining contracts require that certain union-represented employees either be given a take-home car or be paid what's known as "standby pay differential," or about a third of their salary, whenever they're on call.
More than 100 are being allowed to retain their privileges.
Most are on-call or do a lot of their work outside the office during off-hours.
Fishman said he doesn't think the city saves that much money by eliminating 25 take-home cars.
"But it's a step toward good management," he said. "And it certainly looks better."