Both the DeKalb County, Georgia, and Clayton County, Georgia, sheriffs spent millions of dollars on fleets of electric vehicles so employees can commute to and from work.
"I had to find a way to get all of my positions filled, so one of the things I thought about was incentivizing the employees," Clayton County Sheriff Levon Allen told FOX 5. "And it worked. In six months’ time, we were able to become fully staffed and went from 40% to 100%."
Allen spent $3 million on 2023 Chevrolet Bolts. His use of taxpayer funds for the Chevy Bolts last year has rankled some county residents.
The sheriff says he took inspiration from DeKalb County Sheriff Melody Maddox, who last year started leasing 100 Chevy Bolts as take-home vehicles for detention officers.
Sheriff Maddox has a budget more than twice the size of Allen's, and also 16 charging stations.
Sheriff Allen says that, for now, employees with the Chevy Bolts can charge them by plugging into a wall at home, or by finding other charging stations in the area.