With summer gas prices continuing to hit record highs, Guthrie County municipalities are feeling the cost at the pump.

Guthrie County Engineer Josh Sebern says they have ten mainline maintainers and three excavators running on diesel fuel typically in operation every day along with a few trucks. He tells Raccoon Valley Radio that they use a lot of fuel on a daily basis which can cost a lot with the current gas prices. 

“With the heavy rains we have received, we have not been afforded the luxury to hold back. We need to be out there, we have a whole lot of work to do. We are doing what we can as part of the fuel system to monitor that as well so we are tightening the controls and usage of the fuel so we’re investing some cost there.” 

Sebern says the rise in gas prices have been tough on the budget but there is essential work that needs to be done. According to the latest Fuel Report by the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, retail diesel fuel decreased by $0.11 this week to an average of $5.44 per gallon, whereas last year the average was $3.12 per gallon of diesel fuel.