Officials in Atlantic City are finally establishing overdue rules regulating use of city-owned vehicles. Mayor Bob Levy issued an executive order requiring driver's licenses, seat-belt usage and advance approval to leave town. City Council has said it plans to consider its own legislation.
It's good that the city is finally making rules. But why the nagging concern that these controls won't be taken seriously? Maybe it's because the city's policy to date has amounted to lax parents leaving car keys out where teenagers can grab them anytime they want.
The Beach Boys could provide the soundtrack to this debate.
Well, he got a city car and he's cruising through the hamburger stand now. ...

And he'll have fun, fun, fun ‘til the city takes the T-Bird away.
The city's long-overdue rules won't matter unless it follows up with enforcement. There must be a credible prospect that a grownup will take away the keys if the rules aren't followed.
If it has seemed like anything goes when it comes to car usage, that's because the city has never had an official policy. That's amazing for a local government with more than 625 vehicles and a workforce of more than 1,400 employees.
Public Works Director David Callaway drove his city-issued Durango to federal court in Camden when his brother, former Council President Craig Callaway, was sentenced to prison for bribery. City officials said Craig Callaway took a private car to his sentencing, but he was seen getting out of the Durango.
David Callaway was put on paid leave after he sent a city truck to his Pleasantville home and had two employees remove debris from his yard.
On Saturday, Councilman Timothy Mancuso was charged with driving his city car while intoxicated — on the beach.
Well, you knew all along that the city's getting wise to you now. And since they took your set of keys, you've been thinking that your fun is all through now.
Levy's executive order states for the first time that employees must be licensed to drive a city car, that they must pay for any tickets they receive and must report accidents. (City Councilman Eugene Robinson recently had two minor accidents with his city car within a few days.) It requires city employees get advance written approval to drive out of Atlantic City.
City Council needs to take up a resolution on the car-usage policy. It is clear that any city-car policy needs to apply to City Council as well.
But neither plan will do much good unless city officials enforce the policy. The response should be clear if employees ignore the rules: Buddy, gonna shut you down.