HERBERT GETS CITY-OWNED AUTOMOBILE

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: WEDNESDAY, February 24, 1993                   TAG: 9302240375
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: B3   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short
HERBERT GETS CITY-OWNED AUTOMOBILE
Roanoke City Manager Bob Herbert, who has been driving his private car on city business for six months, will get a new city-owned automobile.
City Council has voted to buy a full-size, four-door 1993 Ford sedan for Herbert at a cost of $13,436.
Herbert has been driving his own car since August, when he returned a new car to Magic City Ford because the city violated its bidding policy in buying the vehicle.
Because of the publicity and controversy, Herbert has not asked for reimbursement for mileage.
He also said that he had been too busy with bigger issues to worry about the car.
The new car will be bought from Warnock Ford, East Hanover, N.J., as part of the state's contracting purchase program that allows localities to buy vehicles at the same price as those bought by the state.
The bids by several Roanoke Valley car dealers were higher than the state's price.
Herbert returned the car last summer because the cost exceeded the $15,000 limit for buying items without formal, sealed bidding. The cost and the trade-in allowance for Herbert's Jeep Wagoneer ($3,500) totaled $15,941.
City Purchasing Officer Doc Roupe said he misunderstood the policy.

by Archana Subramaniam by CNB