It is a report the city's inspector general has been waiting to release since he accepted the job.  More than a year and a half ago, new in the city, in one of his first meetings in City Hall, an employee offered Robert Cerasoli a city car.

“I think they said that everybody gets a car, that everybody gets a car and gas, and it's a common thing,” said Cerasoli.

According to the office of inspector general, it is a common thing for 273 city employees; that's how many Cerasoli says are assigned take home cars, 74 of those employees are in the Mayor's Office.

That number is in line with a Eyewitness News report from a year ago that put the number of city-owned take-home cars right below 300, but Cerasoli expects his number to grow because the audit released Wednesday is an interim report; it doesn't include the airport, Civil and Criminal Sheriff’s Office, Sewerage and Water Board and the NOPD.

But according to Cerasoli, the city's use of take-home cars may be in violation of city law.  Cerasoli's report cites an ordinance that limits the number of take-home cars to 50, and within the fire department only 10.  Right now, the fire department alone has 22 take- home cars.

Cerasoli's 53-page report raises many questions about oversight. He writes that "the city has no written criteria for assigning these vehicles and does not monitor or restrict their personal use.”

Cerasoli's report highlights a few of what he calls abuses, or misuse, of city-owned take-home cars. 

The report says two employees have home addresses in Baton Rouge, commuting about 150 miles round trip per day, with taxpayers picking up the bill. Cerasoli estimates both of those take-home cars cost the city about $100 per day.

He also writes about the misuse of fuel, instances of fuel dispensed in excess of the vehicle's capacity.  One example, a Ford F-150 with a fuel capacity of 18 gallons was fueled with 91.2 gallons, and in another case, a Ford Taurus with a fuel capacity of 18 gallons was fueled with 39.9 gallons.

Cerasoli's report questions if the Nagin administration is even aware of how many take-home cars it has.  While the Chief Administrative Office oversees the program, cars are assigned by each department.  

Cerasoli writes: "When we compared CAO inventories to inventories provided by 13 selected departments, the departments identified 41 vehicles not on the CAO inventory and 38 vehicles listed on the CAO inventory were not on the department inventories.”

Cerasoli concludes his report with a number of recommendations, mostly better oversight and stricter policies.  But he does propose that the city not purchase any new vehicles in 2009, something that could save the city $2 million.

And Cerasoli says if the city did decide to eliminate take-home cars it could save an additional $1 million every year.