Athens County’s higher gas prices can empty your wallet faster than other counties’ prices, and local law enforcement officials say they’re no different.
“When the gas prices go up, it hurts us and takes a big chunk out of us,” Athens County Sheriff Pat Kelly said. “We don’t get a break.”
With gas prices in Athens averaging 30 cents more per gallon than the Ohio average — according to gasbuddy.com, a website that tracks gas prices across the country — Kelly’s office has had to spend more money.
Kelly said his budget for fuel costs is based on the number of cruisers the office has on the road and how much his deputies drive. The gasoline budget was bumped up by more than $25,000 for 2013, according to records from the Athens County Auditor’s Office.
“It reached the point where I had to have my deputies double up at times,” Kelly said. “And other times, they were required to sit on the side of the highway with their engines off to do their paperwork.”
The office’s response to gas prices fluctuates each year, Kelly said. “When prices were hitting $4 a gallon we were devastated; when it was around $3.30 it helped us with our budget.”
The Athens Police Department feels the punch at the pump as well.
Though Kelly’s deputies pay per fill-up, Athens police periodically buy their gasoline through Ohio University.
By planning for its fuel costs on a quarterly basis, Athens Police Chief Tom Pyle said the department does not feel the hit of weekly fluctuations in gas prices as much as the sheriff.
“Right now, it looks like we’re doing OK,” Pyle said. “We might have a little shortfall at the end of the year where we have to transfer money in or ask for additional funding, but that’s only happened a couple of times.”
Like the sheriff’s office, the department’s gas budget is based on how much fuel was used in the previous year.
“When we get a big hit like 50 cents per gallon, something like that, then we have to take a step back and look at it and plan for it,” Pyle said.
The OU Police Department feels the effects, officials said, but not as much as the other two law enforcement branches because its officers drive fewer miles.
“The gas prices, at least since I’ve been here, have been relatively stable,” Ohio University Police Chief Andrew Powers said. “The real spike in prices occurred around 2007.”
In an effort to keep expenses down, university police have begun to use different ways of getting around.
“Our officers use bikes and foot patrols, so it’s not our only mode of patrol,” Powers said. “It’s not hard to take action.”
as299810@ohiou.edu
@akarl_smith
