GRAND TRAVERSE COUNTY -- Like many of us, the Grand Traverse County Road Commission is dealing with an unexpected spike in fuel prices. Now they're planning to adjust the budget and come up with a new work-plan for the summer months.
7&4's Kate Fox has more on how this could effect your driving.
The Grand Traverse County Road Commission is facing money issues that are no different than what your family is likely going through right now…if you have to spend more to fill up the tank than it means less money to spend in other places.
Grand Traverse Road Commission Manager Mary Gillis says, "It takes a bite into everyone's budget."
And the Grand Traverse County Road Commission is no exception
Gillis explains, "We budget for an increase in fuel but we didn't foresee several wars breaking out in the Middle East, it's really driving the speculation and fuel prices up."
Back in December County Road Commission Manager Mary Gillis says her department budgeted for 175,000 gallons of diesel fuel at a cost of $2.55 per gallon and it turns out that was not enough. At the end of March the cost spiked to $3.15 a gallon, which is a 60 cent increase.
Gillis says, "A lot of our materials are fuel based or oil based products, so it really impacts more than just driving the trucks-- it affects our materials for paving road and asphalt and buying pothole patching material, so we really have to look over the whole budget and see how we can fit this cost increase into our budget.
One casualty is likely to be routine road maintenance this summer and that means less pothole patching.
Gillis explains, "We might not be able to go further, in other words, the areas that are broken up but not holes yet--we're not going to be able to seal patch those."
It also means fewer trucks out smoothing roads.
Gillis says, "We budgeted this summer for seal coatings…around $250,000 dollars worth of that-- where we go out chip seal roads to persevere them so that could be affected."
Other services that could be impacted are laying down new gravel, mowing grass in the middle and shoulders of roads, sweeping curbs and cleaning out storm sewers.
Gillis says the main priority is safety so they'll look for grants or matches from other sources to get as much money as they can for summer road services.
Officials from both Wexford and Cheboygan County Road Commissions say the high diesel costs also have them looking to adjust.
In fact, Cheboygan County Road Commission Manager Luke Houlton says they've already cut back on summer road maintenance services and now are looking at possibly laying off crews to deal with budget short falls.
