Jacksonville City Hall to spend $3 million extra to gas up its fleet this year

Higher gas prices could add more than $3 million to the cost of running Jacksonville's city-owned vehicles this year, an administrator warned City Council members Tuesday.

The city's Fleet Management Division is budgeted to spend $20.9 million this year fueling cars, trucks and other vehicles in the city's 5,600-piece inventory of motorized equipment.

That's 52 percent of the $39.6 million yearly budget for Fleet Management, which charges to maintain and repair vehicles owned by the city and by outside agencies that contract for similar services.

The division's budget has risen $6.7 million since 2009, about $6.1 million of that because of higher spending on fuel, according to data Reed circulated to the committee.