Mississippi County struggles to cover increasing fuel costs

CHARLESTON, Mo. -- Mississippi County Commissioners will meet with the sheriff Thursday to discuss the county's fuel budget crisis.

Fuel budgets from several county departments are on course to outspend their allocations.

"I don't know what to do about this fuel," Presiding Commissioner Jim Blumenberg said during the regular County Commission meeting Thursday. "We have to figure out a plan. It's going to have to be addressed; fuel is not going to go down considerably."

Blumenberg said the best they can hope for is a drop in the price of fuel to $3.50 per gallon, and that is "barring any kind of disaster."

Commissioners agreed the only thing they can think of is to conserve fuel.

"Some vehicles are going to have to be parked," Commissioner Martin Lucas said.

Blumenberg said it is important that commissioners meet with Sheriff Keith Moore to get his input.

"I want to know what his plan is," Blumenberg said. "I'm not trying to put him on the spot ... but we need to know what their plan is."

Blumenberg said he is surprised that only some and not all fuel budgets in the road and bridge department are on pace to outspend their allocations. He said part of the reason some are managing to stay within their budget is that roads with significant traffic are being neglected by road graders. Blumenberg said they should have at least three road graders running every day working on heavily-traveled roads while staying off roads that don't have much traffic.

"Just leave them alone," he said.

Blumenberg said officials may need to transfer $100,000 to the road and bridge fund from general revenue.

The county has already spent $18,400 on limestone gravel with only $15,000 budgeted, according to Blumenberg. He said it will probably be at $22,000 by the end of the month.

"And everybody's wanting rock," Commissioner Homer Oliver said.

"There's going to be a lot of people aggravated but I don't know what to do," Blumenberg said. "Can't spend it if you don't have it."