FRUIT HEIGHTS -- If you think your personal vehicle gas bill is high, it could be worse.

You could have to pay the bill for the Davis County Sheriff's Office, which came to $15,000 in March.

The county's Public Works Department, meanwhile, "only" had to fork out $10,000 that month, said Kirk Schmalz, Davis County Public Works director.

Davis County, just like personal consumers, businesses and other government entities, is having to grapple with sharply escalating fuel bills.

"It is a concern to all departments, just like in our personal lives," said County Commissioner Bret Millburn. "There hasn't been any countywide policy or action taken, but I think each department is fully aware of the issue.

"They are monitoring it in their respective budgets, trying to make adjustments as they go along," he said. "It hasn't gotten to the point we're not driving or doing the work we need to.

"We won't at this time look at changing budgets," County Clerk/Auditor Steve Rawlings said. "We'll have to get a little further into it to see what has really happened" as far as overall costs, he said.

"We buy gas in bulk and put it in tanks in the county that we fill. The Sheriff's Department and Public Works use that gas," Rawlings said.

That said, departments such as Public Works, which have responsibility for maintaining and plowing many miles of roadway, are closely monitoring the situation.

The Sheriff's Office provides some paramedic service in addition to law enforcement. That includes providing coverage for the cities of Fruit Heights, South Weber and West Point.

"General consideration for economy of effort via advanced planning, ride sharing, etc.," is a rule of thumb in Public Works, Schmalz said.

"So far, public works has not imposed vehicle use or mileage restrictions due to the amount of work we have to do," he said.

"There has been a suggestion for a fuel additive to increase mileage," Schmalz said. Public Works hasn't yet decided if it will use the additive, he said.

As far as making changes to their mode of operations, he said, "Public Works depends heavily on mobile phones and radios for communication and to enhance economy of effort while operating in the field."

There could be reductions in travel request approvals or other measures taken to free up more funds to cover fuel bills, Schmalz said.

"In most cases, with reductions in other line items or less travel," the higher fuel cost impact will be dealt with by various county departments, he said.

"If costs become too excessive in the key departments that utilize fuel, they have the ability to ask for consideration of additional budget appropriation," Schmalz said.

No such requests have been received from any department, Rawlings said.