Gasoline savings, liquid fuels, Little League and a body scanner at the jail were the topics at a brief Warren County Commissioners work session held on Monday.

Chief Clerk Pam Matve said she compared the county’s current United Refining fueling option to a similar program offered by the state through the COSTARS program.

Matve told the commissioners that the county purchased 11,937.62 gallons of fuel from United Refining or partner gas stations in addition to 2,205.46 gallons from gas stations that would not include any discounts.

She said that the county saved $596.89 through the reward program but could have saved an additional $358 “if the employees would have used the rewards card with that.”

Matve noted that the state’s offering works similarly to the program through United. The base discounts would be similar – roughly $.05 per gallon – but Matve said utilizing United’s rewards program would increase the discount up to $.08 per gallon.

She suggested the county could “make policy that county employees have to use” the rewards cards. “It’s not being used.”

Commissioner Ben Kafferlin suggested that it “sounds fairly clear to me” to stay with United’s program.

Liquid Fuels

The commissioners also decided how to divy up the county’s liquid fuels allocation. Since the county owns no roads or bridges, the funds are passed down to the municipalities.

There was some discussion about how much should be kept in reserve for emergency situations but it was also clear that those emergency funds in past years have gone unutilized.

“My preference is to give the municipalities as much as we can,” Commissioner Jeff Eggleston said.

Farm Colony baseball fields

Eggleston said he met with local Little League officials and said he wants to bring an agreement for the next commissioner’s meeting regarding use of the fields at the Farm Colony site.

The county, which owns the property, previously had an agreement with Babe Ruth League baseball to lease the property for $1 per year. There were questions, though, regarding whether that agreement was still in effect given that the Babe Ruth entity in Warren no longer exists.

He noted that Little League is looking to pursue grants for the facilities.

It would certainly be easier for those investments to be made with an assurance that the fields will remain open to Little League use.

Body Scanner

County officials have been discussing the possibility of a body scanner at the jail for some time. Such technology would significantly enhance security as people come into and out of the jail.

Commissioner Tricia Durbin said she recently met an engineer to discuss where to locate the scanner.

She said they are examining the “most cost-effective means,” which may require “redesigning” in order to make a space sufficient for the scanner.