Fluctuating gas prices complicate 2009 budgeting for Ohio police

Because of the recession, police departments can’t be sure how much revenue will come in.

WILLOUGHBY, Ohio (AP) — Police chiefs said they’re relieved gas prices have fallen so much in recent months, especially after record high prices strained department budgets over the summer.

But with 2008 gas prices ranging from $4 a gallon to the current $1.60 a gallon, some Northeast Ohio officials are wondering how much to set aside in 2009 to keep patrol cars on the road.

In Willoughby, northeast of Cleveland, the police department has gone $19,000 over its fuel budget this year, police Chief Conrad Straube said.

“We exceeded our estimated budget, but obviously there was a big fear back in August or September that we could have doubled our budget,” he said.

Mentor police spent 68 percent of its $123,000 fuel budget during the year’s first five months. Police Capt. James Telzrow said in July that department officials were thinking of transferring funds from other programs or requesting more money from the city council.

By mid-December, the department had spent $208,000 on fuel — $83,000 more than was budgeted for 2008.

“We did move money around. We added $95,000 to the original budget in the middle of the summer,” Telzrow said recently, adding that the recent price decrease was a big help.

The Lake County Sheriff’s Office spent $132,741 on fuel through the end of September, compared with $98,038 during the same period in 2007 and $63,700 during the first nine months of 2004.

But the summer’s record gas prices were a surprise, Sheriff’s Capt. Lonnie Sparkman said.

“No one knew this would happen,” he said. “How do you prepare for a $30,000 increase?”

Nobody believes gas prices will stay at $1.60 a gallon, which makes the 2009 budget process that much more complicated, Sparkman said.

“It’s a best-guess scenario,” said Scott Hildenbrand, the chief deputy in the Geauga County Sheriff’s Office. “If you can tell me what the price of gasoline would be in 2009, I’d be very happy.”

Departments won’t have many options for extra money if gas prices do rise again to record levels. Tax revenues are down because of the recession, and local governments are making steep budget cuts.

“We don’t know how much money we’ll have to work with,” Fairport Harbor Police Chief Mark Kish said. “I’m sure there will be some things that will have to suffer, but hopefully it won’t affect the safety and security of people in Fairport Harbor.”