Fuel up

Police officer Robert Blackman said he sees a gas pump every day.

"I either fuel up at the beginning or the end of my shift," Blackman said.

While the rising fuel prices are affecting most in Odessa, the city's employees definitely use their share of gas and diesel.

"Fuel prices are high for everyone," said Doug Hildebrand, Odessa's director of equipment services.

Hildebrand said the city signs a yearly contract with United Fuel and Energy where it gets fuel on a rack price.

"It can be $3 one day and $3.48 the next day," he said. "They charge us how much they get the fuel for - so it goes up and down every day."

However, Hildebrand said whatever the cost of fuel, it won't affect city services.

"Fuel prices aren't affecting the services we provide," he said. "Police, fire, solid waste, utilities, all city services continue to be provided."

That doesn't mean the city's not feeling the pinch, though.

Hildebrand said the fuel budget for the fiscal year, beginning in September 2007, was set at $1,845,700. The city spent $115,086.67 more on fuel from September 2007 until March 2008, as compared to the same seven-month period last fiscal year - a 14.8 percent increase.

"We've spent $899,093.54 so far this fiscal year," he said. "We spent $783,286.87 during the same seven-month period last year."

Fire Capt. Hugh Koenig said part of the spending has been in his department.

"We have to keep our fuel gauges above three-quarters," Koenig said. "We do that just in case we have to go to Andrews or West Odessa."

Koenig said his crews usually see a gas pump every day to fill up the 50-gallon fire engines.

"We usually get 12 to 15 gallons of fuel every day," he said. "I'd say we fuel up once a day just in case. We can't just go get gas right when we get called out to a fire."

Koenig said the engines aren't good on gas mileage because the firefighters have to get up and go.

"We get up and run to a scene then run back and let it cool down," he said. "That's not good on the gas mileage."

 With the fire department having to fuel up with diesel at least once a day and other services fueling up constantly, Hildebrand said he's "absolutely concerned with rising fuel prices," but he wasn't overly worried.

"We'll continue to provide services to the people either way," he said.

 BY THE NUMBERS

>> $1,845,700: City of Odessa's fuel budget for the fiscal year (beginning September 2007).

>> $899,093.54: Amount of fuel bought by city services from September 2007 until March 2008.

>> $783,286.87: Amount of fuel bought by city services from September 2006 until March 2007.

>> 644,273.5: Gallons of fuel used by city services during the last fiscal year ending August 2007.

>> 7,330,581: Miles driven by city services during the fiscal year.

>> More than 647,000: Gallons of fuel estimated to be used by city services during the fiscal year.

>> $2.75: Average cost per gallon of fuel for City of Odessa services during this fiscal year.