A measure being considered by New Jersey lawmakers is intended to cut government costs by reducing the size of the state’s fleet of vehicles.

The bill sponsored by Senator Jeff Van Drew calls for the creation of a seven-member task force to look at how state vehicles are being used and recommend how to reduce the fleet over a five-year period.

 “Folks have been taxed, tolled, feed, surcharged to death in New Jersey and times are tight. So when we do spend money we have to make sure that we’re using it in the most appropriate way and that applies to the way that we use our vehicles.”

Van Drew says options include leasing vehicles instead of owning them and examining how many workers need to take them home.

“There may be certain departments or certain times where we shouldn’t be having as many vehicles as we do. We shouldn’t see vehicles that are just sitting in parking lots not being utilized at times and being wasted.”

Van Drew says it will be up to the task force to determine how many vehicles the state really needs.

“My original goal which was very ambitious was to reduce the force of vehicles 50 percent and some felt that was too arbitrary a number, it was too big a number, and that we really should look at what is the right number, how can we do it.”

Vehicles used for emergency services, construction, or maintenance would be exempt from the study.