Municipal budgets squeezed by high gas prices
ATTLEBORO - It impacts every budget in every municipality, the cost of fuel. Now many in city and town governments are trying to find those extra dollars.
"We can order fuel on a Tuesday, not accept it until Thursday, the price has gone up and that is very challenging," said Attleboro Department of Public Works Superintendent Mike Tyler.
In fact, the Attleboro DPW had to request an additional $80,000 for fuel to make it through the fiscal year that ends this month.
Starting July 1, a new budget year begins and Attleboro budget director Jeremy Stull says the allocation request for gas and diesel is already 50% higher. "Budgeting is always a priority, if you spend on things you can't spend it on something else," Stull said.
On Read Street where the city was hoping to install a new sidewalk, the cost may exceed the million dollars that's been budgeted. Stull says a budget increase may be requested or the project could be scaled back due to rising costs.
There's also 200 city vehicles including police, fire, DPW, ambulances and school buses that have to be fueled. There's now even increased costs to treat wastewater which means a 7% increase in water bills. "It's mainly driven by chemical prices fueled in large part by fuel prices," said Stull.
And just when summer is beginning, municipal leaders already have to think about snow budgets with no drop in gas prices in sight. Marshfield town manager Michael Maresco is also facing budget challenges. "The DPW superintendent is thinking about adequate sand and rock salt and whether buying now is cheaper. Instead, he's looking and monitoring gas and diesel fuel," said Maresco.
In Attleboro, Mike Tyler says small increases in gas prices are manageable but when it's already up $1.50 a gallon he says, "there's nothing we can do to make up for that." Except, he says, to stretch every dollar and conserve as much fuel as possible in his vehicles.
