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Rising gas prices have forced two, well-traveled, Steuben County departments to readjust their fuel budgets to stay on the road.
The Legislature’s Public Safety and Finance committees agreed this week to increase the county road patrols’ fuel budget by $50,000, pulling the funds from Steuben’s reserve funds.
Sheriff Joel Ordway said increased fuel costs this year have depleted the department’s criminal systems budget. The department spends about $12,000 a month for gas he said.
Ordway said he has started a policy where deputies will cover a 25-mile area located near their home. Deputies keep their patrol cars at home as a public safety reminder, and are called into service from their driveways.
Patrolling closer to their home bases should reduce costs, Ordway said.
“I mean, it makes no sense, we get a call to unlock a vehicle in Pulteney, and we send someone from Greenwood,” Ordway said.
The Sheriff’s Office is not the only department feeling a pinch.
Two months ago, the Public Works Department boosted its fuel budget to $1.2 million, transferring $400,000 from other road projects, Commissioner Vincent Spagnoletti said.
The department had based this year’s costs on a three-year average, plus inflation, pegging the total at $825,000.
However, according to a recent Public Works report, the department paid an average of $2.40 per gallon for gasoline and $2.80 per gallon three years ago. This year, costs soared to $3.15 per gallon for gasoline and $3.33 for diesel, the report said.
Rising gas prices have forced two, well-traveled, Steuben County departments to readjust their fuel budgets to stay on the road.
The Legislature’s Public Safety and Finance committees agreed this week to increase the county road patrols’ fuel budget by $50,000, pulling the funds from Steuben’s reserve funds.
Sheriff Joel Ordway said increased fuel costs this year have depleted the department’s criminal systems budget. The department spends about $12,000 a month for gas he said.
Ordway said he has started a policy where deputies will cover a 25-mile area located near their home. Deputies keep their patrol cars at home as a public safety reminder, and are called into service from their driveways.
Patrolling closer to their home bases should reduce costs, Ordway said.
“I mean, it makes no sense, we get a call to unlock a vehicle in Pulteney, and we send someone from Greenwood,” Ordway said.
The Sheriff’s Office is not the only department feeling a pinch.
Two months ago, the Public Works Department boosted its fuel budget to $1.2 million, transferring $400,000 from other road projects, Commissioner Vincent Spagnoletti said.
The department had based this year’s costs on a three-year average, plus inflation, pegging the total at $825,000.
However, according to a recent Public Works report, the department paid an average of $2.40 per gallon for gasoline and $2.80 per gallon three years ago. This year, costs soared to $3.15 per gallon for gasoline and $3.33 for diesel, the report said.
