Van Buren County Commission has approved a prospective location for its new county fuel tanks.
Mayor David Sullivan said the county could see a 27 cent savings per gallon on some 1,500 gallons per month.
Commissioner Tabitha Denney said she wanted a usage tracking like a card system. Commissioner Terry Hodges said he needed to know that people would not be taking gas home in five gallon tanks. Sullivan said mileage tracking should solve any issues.
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“What they need to do is put the mileage down when they get there, how many gallons they get,” Sullivan said. “Because that vehicle, unless they steal it every time they come, you’re going to have a running record of how many miles per gallon your vehicle will get.”
Denney said she needed to see all the data on costs for installation, projected savings, and how long it would take to recoup the expenses for the tanks. She said the county had tried this before and it had not worked out.
Commissioner Cale Crain said he knew that Denney would need that data and he was in the process of collecting it.
“It may take a year or a little less to pay for the whole system, you know what I’m saying,” Sullivan said. “Going with just the manual pump.”
Sullivan said everyone needed to think about what the county will do if there is ever another fuel shortage. He said that the WEX account the county had been using would not be able to get any gas if there were a shortage.
Hodges said the county has a backup generator and could pump the fuel in a power outage. He said this will ensure ambulances can respond to calls and prevent litigation.
“You can look at it either way you want to, but as a whole I think it will be good for Van Buren County,” Sullivan said.
The commission voted to approve the prospective location. Commissioners said that approval for any related purchases and construction will require discussions of fuel tracking systems, and cost and expense data to determine risks and benefits.
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