By COLE REIF
Great Bend Post
Last week, the Barton County Commission approved a fuel agreement for the landfill. This week, the Commission agreed to a contract with American Plains Co-op to provide diesel fuel for the County Works Department, or Road and Bridge.
County Works Director Chris Schartz said American Plains Co-op was the only bid received, and the bid will provide the fuel price through June 30, 2026, or when the 50,000 gallon mark is exceeded.
"It's very specific for what we need," said Schartz. "We fill our trucks and equipment up every evening. We have to have people that have numerous amount of pumps in town. We also need somebody that deliver fuel to our sand dredge in Ellinwood. They have to have the truck and hose to be able to reach our sand dredge."
The bid prices #2 clear road fuel at $2.69 per gallon and off-road diesel at $2.48 per gallon.
"The good thing about the Co-op is they have stations all over the county," said Schartz. "We can have access to fuel all throughout the county if we need it. The guys don't have to run back to Great Bend to fill the bulk fuel tanks. They can just run to the closest station and get fuel."
Since fuel is a commodity, Schartz said the price per gallon could go up or down a few cents, depending on the how the markets are doing.