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As the high price of gas continues to rise, counties in the metro area are looking at ways to cut costs when it comes to spending tax-payer dollars on fuel.
In Frederick, it cost $430 taxpayer dollars to fill up a fire truck. The sky-high prices prompted one lawmaker to suggest pulling fire trucks from parade routes, calling it a luxury Frederick can't afford.
"Fire trucks at summer-time parades is American as apple pie and fireworks and everything else, but we are in a situation where we haven't been before," said Frederick County commissioner Lennie Thompson.
The situation fueled plenty of opinions. "How many parades are there a year? How much gas is it going to save," asked one taxpayer. Sandy Sayko from Frederick said, "My first reaction is 'Oh no. Boo hoo, don't take the first trucks out of the parade.'"
Not everyone thinks it's a bad idea to pull the trucks. "You have to cut corners everywhere and this just might be one of them," said Lake Linganore resident David McElheny. "I understand the county has to be run as a business, such as I have to run my business, so if there's no money to do that, I would understand if they have to cut that out," said Igoe Automotive owner Steve Igoe.
At one Hagerstown station, a gallon of super is one cent shy of $4. To save on fuel costs, a city councilwoman wants to limit who get a city take-home vehicle. She said too many workers use taxpayer money for cars that, in some cases, are driven out of state.
One man said the vehicles are a well-deserved perk. "Unless she's walked in the feet of those people she's trying to hurt, I have no... she needs to change her opinion," said Richard Ebersole. One woman backs the idea wholeheartedly. "I do think they need to cut back on that because I've seen a lot of officers where they go to the mall doing things and they have family in the car so that's not right," said LaToya Younker.
The councilwoman supports allowing Hagerstown police officers who live in the city to keep their cars because she feels the marked cruisers offer a crime deterrent when they're parked in neighborhoods. The city council will take up the proposal in June, but as for the fire truck proposal, there is no scheduled vote.
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