Monmouth County, N.J., officials have pledged to reduce the county’s fleet by auctioning off 53 vehicles, the Asbury Park Press reported. The issue first arose in early August when it was realized that 269 government employees were driving vehicles with gas and maintenance provided through taxpayer dollars. Essentially, county officials were driving free cars with free gas and maintenance. Last month, 69 county employees lost their all-expenses-paid vehicles. Most of the department heads were included in that number, according to the report. As those 69 vehicles are returned to the county fleet, older-model cars will be selected for auction. After the reduction, 179 vehicles of the “take-home” fleet remain, fully covered by the county. Those, however, belong to county employees in public safety and health operations who need to be available 24 hours a day.