Rincon City Council has adjusted its take-home car policy, drawing the circle those vehicles can travel from the city a little tighter.

All city employees who have a car to take home must live within 15 miles of city hall. City employees who live up to 25 miles and have take-home cars will be allowed to keep them. But future hires will have to live within 15 miles in order to have a take-home vehicle.

One of the issues is police officers who don’t live within the city limits or within the county’s borders.

“In the past, we have had cars go to the far ends of Bryan, Bulloch and Chatham counties,” said council member Reese Browher. “It would be nice to have all city vehicles remain in the city, but that is not practical, and I realize that.”

Browher hopes the take-home car policy can serve as an incentive to have employees live within the city or at the least, close to the city.

“I feel Rincon’s take-home cars should stay within our county, at a minimum,” he said.

According to Rincon Police Sgt. Phillip Scholl, four of his officers with take-home cars live outside the county but two live within a mile of the county line.

Scholl said some of the officers took pay cuts, as much as $2 an hour, to join Rincon’s force because of its take-home car policy.

“They understand it’s a privilege,” he said. “They came under no false pretenses. They know the cars aren’t going to be here forever.”

When robbers struck the GeoVista credit union, three off-duty Rincon officers were called in and responded quickly, according to Scholl.

“All our guys are subject to call-back at any time,” he said.