By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
With gas prices now exceeding five dollars a gallon for the first time in U.S. history, no one remains untouched. For local law enforcement, which uses vehicles as a primary tool, the problem is exponential. Barton County Sheriff Brian Bellendir is trying to deal with the new budget crisis.
"It's wrecking my budget," he said. "We buy from four or five local suppliers here in town. The main one where most of the guys go, it went from about $6,200 a month to over $10,000. It's going to wreck my budget this year."
With 901 square miles of coverage across Barton County, Bellendir estimates his deputies drive between 50 to 125 miles per vehicle, per shift. With the cost of fuel, each of those miles is now a burden.
"At this point, the only solution I would have is to cut services or quit patrolling, and we can't do that," he said. "We're just going to have to proceed and try to cut in other areas of my budget. I've left my budget flat for the last three years and I don't have much fat to be cutting off. I'm going to try and stay under budget, but at the current rate it's not looking good."
Bellendir has already submitted his 2023 budget, asking for a 42-percent increase in fuel costs. And his problems do not end there. The cost of running a jail is also soaring due to inflation.
"Everybody at home is faced with food prices, just general inflation of about eight percent," he said. "I'm running a jail down here with an average capacity of about 85 people a day. I'm having to buy groceries, laundry detergent, and the same things you're buying at home. I'm dealing with the same inflation, only for almost 100 people down here. This is going to be a real issue for sheriffs and government where we're running jails. It's going to be hard to stay under budget and it's going to call for some pretty serious budget increases this year."
At this time, Bellendir has no intention of cutting services. But the struggle grows in finding ways to finance the services the Barton County Sheriff's Office provides.
"We cannot sit back and be reactive," he said. "We must be proactive if we're going to reduce crime in our county. The only way to do that is to patrol. The other difference I have with a police department, other than the huge expanse of mileage I have, is I'm running a jail. These people need to be fed, clothed, housed. They need medical attention. Utilities are going up, medical costs are going up. All of this is going to affect my jail operations."
As of Monday, the AAA reported the national average of a gallon of gas at $5.01. Some states are recording prices as high as $6.43 a gallon, and the Kansas average is at $4.66.