Climbing fuel prices are making a dent in their budgets, butBrookhaven and Lincoln County officials said that they are so farcoping with the added costs and services are not being negativelyimpacted.

“Fuel is just something you have to have in order to do thethings you need to,” said Mayor Les Bumgarner.

Bumgarner said the city’s fuel budget is prepared around Augustand goes into effect in October.

Each city department is budgeted separately. Bumgarner said aglimpse at sale and expense trends in the past several years and alook at current gas prices helps set how much money will beallocated for fuel during budget time.

“On the expense side, you try to look at the worst-casescenario,” said Bumgarner. “Hopefully, revenues will come out to bemore than you budgeted and the expenses will be less.”

Chancery Clerk Tillmon Bishop mentioned that the county preparesits budget in September. Each supervisor is given roughly $40,000for fuel costs.

“In this case, you have a budget that you prepared back inSeptember,” said Bishop. “You look at what fuel prices are now andwhat they were then (and) it’s a significant difference.”

However, city officials said the increasing fuel prices have notaffected the order of business as of yet.

“I think right now we’re still under budget,” said Bumgarner.”Of course, we have seven more months to go and gas prices(usually) go up in the summer.”

It seems like only a matter of time before county supervisorsare forced to squeeze a few drops from their gas budgets.

“With fuel going where it is, it’s going to hit them,” saidCounty Administrator David Fields.

As trucks, tractors, and other city and county machinery callfor a fill-up now and again, law enforcement officials receive themost amount of money to cover fuel costs.

“You have to protect the people and you have to repair theroads,” said Bishop.

The Brookhaven Police Department receives $125,000 for gas andthe Lincoln County Sheriff’s Department is allocated about $128,000for fuel.

“I think (BPD’s) visibility is important and we’re going to keepthem running as long as we can support it,” said Bumgarner.”They’re constantly on the move.”

BPD Chief Pap Henderson said one police department vehicleduring a 24-hour span could travel roughly 300 miles. However,filling up will not result in the slowing down of law enforcementagents.

“No, we’re not going to let (fuel costs) affect us,” saidHenderson. “As far as doing our patrolling, we’re going to do thesame amount of patrolling we’ve been doing.”

Sheriff Steve Rushing and Henderson said they were stilloperating within their gas budgets.

“We can’t stop patrolling,” said Rushing. “We have to be outthere in the county.”

If a city department begins to spend more on fuel thanoriginally allocated, the department is forced to shift moneywithin its own funds to make up the expense.

“If we have to amend the budget we have to make it up somewhereelse,” said Bumgarner. “We can’t put more money in the fuel budgetwithout taking it from somewhere else.”

If county officials find themselves over budget, supervisorswould have to make the decision to draw from other budgeted items,cut back or amend the budget.

“They’re going to have to use potential paving funds probablybecause they’re going to be over their fuel prices – easy,” saidFields. “We didn’t set aside for it to go back up to $4 (agallon).”