The Clarke County Board of Supervisors awarded the 2025 fuel bid to Agriland, FS, Inc. (FS), at their Jan. 20 meeting by a 3-0 vote. In 2024 and 2023, the fuel bid was awarded to NEW Cooperative, Inc. (NEW).
Two bids were received and opened at the meeting - one from FS and one from NEW. The bids were for approximately 100,000 gallons of diesel and 30,000 gallons of gasohol.
The bid from FS had #2 ULSD fuel at $2.533/gallon with premium diesel additive $0.06/gallon and winter additive $0.025/gallon. #1 ULSD fuel was $2.773/gallon with premium diesel additive $0.06/gallon and winter additive $0.025/gallon. Gasohol was bid at $2.178/gallon with $0.03 for additive, and diesel exhaust fluid $2.25/gallon. An additional charge of $0.00405/gallon for Superfund Haz Tax dyed diesel and $0.00304/gallon for Superfund Haz Tax E10 would be added; gasohol would have a $.30 state tax per gallon.
The bid from NEW had #2 ULSD fuel at $2.57/gallon with premium diesel additive $0.05/gallon and winter additive included. #1 ULSD fuel was $2.82/gallon with premium diesel additive $0.05/gallon and winter additive not applicable. Gasohol was bid at $2.55/gallon with additive included, and diesel exhaust fluid $2.40/gallon. All taxes are included in the bid costs.
Neither company impose a penalty on the county for going over or under their estimated gallon usage a year on the contract. There is also no surcharge for deliveries.
A question was raised by the supervisors about not using the winter additives, suggesting instead to leave that up to Shop Foreman and on recommendation from the supplier. Representative for NEW Katie Joliff said it wasn’t an option with their fuel, as the additive was injected at the terminals, with NEW not having any storage tanks of their own for that. FS has dual injection systems, allowing them to be able to offer the additive if the customer wants it.
Joliff mentioned to the supervisors that they should consider tank monitors, and the efforts NEW had gone through over the past two years to install those on all of the county’s fuel tanks. The monitors are looked at daily, and helps in seeing the levels and keeping the county from running out of fuel. She suggested to the supervisors that whichever company they go with for fuel, to have the monitors installed. FS representative Loren Gerleman said that is something that can be put on the tanks if the county so wants.
“I would like to say, I appreciate both of them, the due diligence they put into this, the work they put into [the bids],” said supervisor Dean Robins. “I really hate to even choose between one or other…we’re not talking very much, [but] we take bids for a reason, and this is the reason.”
Robins motion to approve Agriland FS, Inc. for the 2025 fuel supplier. The motion was seconded by supervisor Randy Dunbar.
FS will hold the contract from Jan. 31, 2025 through Feb. 1, 2026.
Other county news
The supervisors approved 3-0 the transfer and hire of Toni Taylor as the secondary roads office manager. Taylor will transfer from dispatch. She will replace current manager Jill Curnes, who is returning to the auditor’s office. Curnes will work parttime in both departments until Taylor is trained.
The supervisor approved setting a public hearing for 9 a.m. on Monday, Feb. 10 for a 2025 budget amendment. Clarke County Auditor Jessica Graves stated the amendment is mainly for use of ARPA funds, as well as a couple departmental amendments to show money coming in and out - one for the engineer’s office for a loan, and one for conservation to show donated money for a picnic table.