|
 |
Fuel prices squeeze local road, landfill budgets
|
|
|
If gasoline prices are causing drivers annoyance or even heartburn, imagine the nightmare facing the county road supervisor who will use 90,000 gallons of diesel fuel and 250,000 gallons of road oil next year.
Steve Liby's headaches begin now, with the 2009 budgeting process.
County commissioners have asked county department heads to figure two prices for fuel in next year's budget proposals, $5.50 a gallon for one and another at $7.50 a gallon.
The request sounds crazy, but no crazier than the runaway prices for those commodities in recent weeks.
At $5.50 per gallon, Liby will have to budget a half million dollars for diesel fuel in 2009, more than twice last year's $202,000 diesel bill.
But the situation for road oil is more grim, having gone up 21 percent since April 2 when Liby locked in a supply at $1.405 per gallon.
Now the question is whether the oil will even be available.
"Now I'm told there is a shortage and we may not get what we need," Liby told the Dispatch.
Liby said he expects the county's suppliers will make good on their promise to deliver to Clay County at the $1.405 per gallon price, even though today it stands at nearly $1.80 and oil prices continue to climb.
If the material is delivered, Liby said he will be able to continue his county road maintenance program that was brought to a halt last year because of extensive storm damage to roads and bridges.
"We try to strip patch and chip seal 40 to 50 miles of road a year, about one fourth of the county each year," Liby said.
Slated for 2009 is one bridge project and road repair in the Clifton-Morganville area originally planned for 2007, but now officials hope to finish this year. In 2009, roads in the Green area are on tap for the maintenance.
Liby said the fuel prices have caused freight to "skyrocket" along with the price of steel. "It has affected everything," he said.
When asked what he will do if the commissioners ask him to cut back, Liby said: "I don't know. I just can't answer that question. If we run out of material, we'll have to repair potholes with rock."
Delaying maintenance is about the only option, but comes with its own costs.
"You can only delay so long," Liby said, "especially with the weather tearing up the roads every year like it has recently."
During the last huge oil price surge 35 years ago, the county put off work on the roads.
"The asphalt roads fell apart in the 70's," Liby said. "It's not cheap to play catch-up."
Gailen Tyrell who manages the county landfill is facing the same grim news.
Most of his department's fuel is used packing and spreading and covering the landfill daily. The county's construction debris site must also be packed, spread and inspected every 24 hours.
Tyrell said he received no objections when he publicly asked for comments on his intention to stop mowing township roads, a move that would save $140 a day, or about $10,000 for the season. His department would continue to mow county roadways.
He said he had considered spraying township roads with a chemical that retards the growth of grass but said he hadn't determined whether that would save enough to be worth the effort.
Meanwhile, the cost of chip sealing streets in Clay Center has jumped from $850 a block to $1,540 a block, according to street superintendent Greg Jensen. His department locked in a price of $1.79 for road oil.
The city plans to continue a program of chip sealing 60 to 70 blocks this year with $120,000 budgeted, Jensen said.
Jensen said the cost of grinding and re-laying streets in worse shape will be less expensive since the recent purchase of an "asphalt zipper" by the city. That cost, about $2,000 per block, would be down from the $11,000 the city paid to contract outside for the work.
His crew will train on the new machine July 3 on Liberty St. between 4th and 5th streets.
|
|
©Clay Center Dispatch 2009
|
|
|
