By Betsy Finklea
Dillon County will be updating the software for their fuel pumps which will make their expenses for fuel cheaper and save the county money and improve monitoring of fuel usage.
Finance Director Richard Gaddy said their system is about 20 years old, and when something goes wrong, they have a time getting it fixed due to the difficulty of finding parts and someone who knows how to fix it because it is so old. It sometimes take
Gaddy said they got in two bids for updating the software. One was from Spatco in the amount of $32,970.97 and Meco in the amount of $36,814.78.
Chairman Stevie Grice asked Gaddy to explain to the council why they were doing this. Gaddy said they were also wanting to run the low sulphur fuel. At Roads and Bridges, they have pumps for off-road diesel and gas, and at the Fire Department, they just have gas. Gaddy said they want to convert the gas at Roads and Bridges to low sulphur fuel so the ambulances and new trucks can burn that fuel.
Grice said they have been buying fuel from a local travel plaza where they can get it 25 cents a gallon cheaper using their own gas.
Gaddy said this is the software part, and it will come to his office, and he can monitor the usage daily and other features.
Grice said it will pay for itself. These funds will be taken out of the bond funds.
Councilman Gerome McLeod made a motion to accept the lowest bid from Spatco. Buzzy Finklea seconded it. All present voted in favor of the motion—McLeod, Grice, Finklea, Councilman Harold Moody, and Councilman Jack Scott.
