Village Vehicles Will Still Use New Lenox Gas
Although Mayor Tim Baldermann called on residents to boycott local gas stations until prices dropped, village police and public works vehicles will still fill up here because of a discount agreement New Lenox has with Speedway.
Earlier this week, New Lenox Mayor Tim Baldermann asked residents to boycott local gas stations until they lowered their prices. But that call doesn't extend to village-owned vehicles, which already receive discounted gasoline in town.
Local gas stations have been consistently charging between 5 and 20 cents more than neighboring communities, and Baldermann said it needs to stop. Many residents said on Patch that they already buy gas in other towns.
But don't expect to see New Lenox police or public works employees filling up out of town.
Village Administrator Kurt Carroll said the village has an agreement with Speedway locations in New Lenox for municipal vehicles to receive 5 cents off each gallon of unleaded gasoline and 10 cents/gallon off diesel fuel. In addition to that, Carroll said federal, state and local taxes are waived.
"We make sure that, because we're using taxpayer money, we're getting the best price we can," Baldermann said. "As far as residents are concerned, they're not going to be able to work that deal out."
Find local gas prices on Patch's Commuter Guide.
So even if they wanted to go elsewhere for gas, village officials said it wouldn't be the smartest choice. As individuals, of course, village employees can go wherever they want to fill up.
"Living on the east end of town, the Speedway at Wolf Road is probably closer to me than any other station in New Lenox," Baldermann said at Monday's Village Board meeting.
The mayor understands that the village could take a hit in sales tax revenue, both through a boycott and possible lower prices, but said the residents are the No. 1 priority.
"We'll be OK because we live in our means," he said. "But we have an obligation to the greater good. We will not stand by and let our residents be gouged."
JP
6:48 am on Thursday, April 26, 2012
Of course they still use NL gas, and of course they get a break. That's all perfectly normal. However, I wouldn't be surprised if that deal diminished given the mayor's suggestion to buy gas elsewhere.
Tracie
7:27 am on Thursday, April 26, 2012
It's nice to see a leading official take a stand for the common people, what huge impact that is! Whether or not these gas stations lower their price is another. We have been filling up elsewhere for awhile now!
Sandman
7:35 am on Thursday, April 26, 2012
These station owners are awful greedy...They lower their prices,but they're still 5 to 12 cents higher than everyone else. They have been so happy gouging the area residents for so many months, that I'll be boycotting until they are spot-on, and stay that way, with the honest station owners in the Will County area! They need a wake up call.
NLMom
7:48 am on Thursday, April 26, 2012
If they have an agreement with Speedway why do I often see NL Police squads filling up at BP?
Bob Elwood
8:45 am on Thursday, April 26, 2012
I agree have also seen them filling up at BP???
shawn
9:48 am on Thursday, April 26, 2012
I wonder if the villiage discount is supplemented by the NL residents paying higher gas prices. Maybe the mayor just did this to make himself look good and to take the spotlight off him raising our sales tax and spending $ on new police station etc.
lala
10:31 am on Thursday, April 26, 2012
Maybe the village could look into getting gas from LW transportation? May get a better price if they buy in bulk?
Bob McLaughlin
4:21 pm on Thursday, April 26, 2012
The deal the village has with Speedway should be on the table. If the prices do not come down, the deal should be negotiated with another vendor. If the Mayor wants to be political about this, he should use all of the tools in his politicians bag. The arrogance of Speedway has got to be addressed.
Tony
6:08 pm on Thursday, April 26, 2012
They used to have an agreement with BP. However they may still be parking in a fuel spot to go into the store..
NLMom
8:42 pm on Thursday, April 26, 2012
No, I've seen them actually pumping gas into the squads at BP in recent days. It's not county squads either, it's NLPD.
shawn
6:34 pm on Thursday, April 26, 2012
Well that was short lived... Yesterday BP had dropped from $4.19 down to $4.06. I was impressed...but now they jumped right back up to $4.15. Right down the road at 159th & Cedar gas is still $4.02. Go figure right.
NLMom
8:43 pm on Thursday, April 26, 2012
I figured it would be short lived. I'm not filling up in New Lenox until these stations stop playing games. They are greedy and that's all there is to it.