With gas prices at an all-time high, city budgets are taking a hit because of the many city vehicles that are fueled up every day. But there's another concern that one city has in regards to gasoline; that's if they have enough during a time of emergency.
Some of us may assume they'll always be there. That the fire trucks will extinguish the flames. The police cars will track down the criminals. And the snow plows will clear the cluttered roadways. But in the event of a natural disaster or fuel shortage -- if gasoline couldn't be delivered to our area how would our emergency vehicles operate?Right now we have a two to three day backup supply of fuel, but what if that wasn't enough in an emergency...
That's why some city officials are proposing construction of a fuel storage facility that could sustain services for a month, by holding 50,000 gallons of fuel, including unleaded, diesel and biodiesel.
The cost? Somewhere around $750,000 in a time when budgets are tight.
Craig Lords, Idaho Falls Municipal Services Director: "Clearly that's one of the concerns that the city council has is how to fit that into priorities? We've got roads that need repair, we've got all sorts of issues, fuel costs increasing." Craig Lords has had the idea of more backup fuel for years now. While it's unsure if the money will be available during this gas crisis which is hitting the city's budget hard, he says this:
Lords: "The thing I've heard from some members of the city council is they believe the tax levy needs to stay the same." It's believed the best place to construct the fuel storage would be on Hemert Road, on the property that holds the city's car maintenance building. There's plenty of city land, in an industrial area away from homes, where all city vehicles would gas up daily.
That's the easy part.
Lords: "
The hard part is finding the $750,000 because there's so many other things that need to be done in the city." Cities including Pocatello have storage facilities that hold large amounts of backup fuel. Also, Lords says the city has spoken with officials with Bonneville County about the possibility of both agencies sharing a fuel storage facility, thereby sharing the load of having to pay for it.
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