AUGUSTA, Ga. (WJBF) – Gas prices are on the rise, and that’s rough if you have a job like a landscaper.“The gas prices are killing me. Gas needs to come down, tremendously. My prices have gone up, now my customers are asking why my prices have gone up,” said Landscaper Douglas Ridenhour.Gas and diesel help businesses go, and, the City of Augusta.City workers fill up city vehicles like you do, and that pain at the pump paid by tax dollars, so city officials are keeping a close eye on where prices are going. “Oh, definitely, we are monitoring it right now. It’s too soon to know if it’s going to have a major impact on us, but right now, we are monitoring it and if necessary, we’ll make the necessary adjustments,” said City Administrator Tameka Allen.What the city expected to pay for gas and diesel for the upcoming year was set in the 2026 budget.But that estimate was made months before when the city was digging out of a deep budget hole.What city leaders approved was $3.50 a gallon for gasoline, and $4.50 for diesel, but the average price for diesel is about 65 cents higher.“Diesel has to be a worry?”
“Yes, right now we’re budgeted for $4.50 a gallon. However, if things don’t change dramatically, we’ll be still fine any conservation measures you’re looking at yet, not at this time it’s a little too soon to know,” said Allen.Like you, the city is bearing the burden of fuel prices, but if prices go way above budget, that could impact taxpayers already paying more at the pump.“Anybody who pays taxes and keeps things like they’re supposed to be, you’ve got to worry about it,” said Ridenhour. However, there’s city work to do, despite the gas pains…