Just around the corner from Beachwood's bustling commercial strips, a city maintenance truck pulls up to a fuel pump. It's a heavy, shiny piece of machinery, with a 50 gallon fuel tank right under the passenger door.
PEKAREK: It's a 300 horsepower diesel truck that hauls about 10 tons of salt.
That's Dale Pekarek, Beachwood's service director. The city operates its own fueling station for the dozens of garbage trucks, cop cars, and other vehicles it owns. And, Pekarek says, trucks like this one need all the fuel they can get.
PEKAREK: If we just take this for a spin, you could be looking at 8 miles a gallon. You throw a one-ton plow on the front, and pile 8-10 tons on the back, now you're talking 3. 3-5.
Ouch, and you thought your gas mileage was bad. Pekarek says all that fuel is costing Beachwood 33% more in this year's budget.
PEKAREK: Fortunately, for the city of Beachwood, our budget is so strong that you're only talking about, even with the increases, maybe a 1% total expenditure toward our total budget.
That's because Beachwood has more commercial growth than most other cities in the region, and that generates enough tax revenue to cover the skyrocketing costs. In some other northeast Ohio communities, the high prices are taking a bigger toll. In Rocky River, school officials think the rising costs could lead to cutbacks in materials. And, Ted Blank, the director of support services in the city, says the cost to bus student athletes is going up.
BLANK: We have fees for transportation for athletic events and next year we're going to have to increase what we charge for transportation costs for athletes in the district. We have to do that to cover the rising cost of gas.
It's a similar story in Lakewood. Schools superintendent David Estrop says most of his students walk to school, but the high heating and fuel costs are still having a ripple effect.
ESTROP: The cost of increased energy is felt in heating and cooling of our buildings, in our menus, the trips that our band and choir and athletic teams take. It's felt across the board.
City officials say they have already begun to shift budget priorities.
Still, Beachwood mayor Merle Gordon says he's looking at using technology to save money.
GORDON: We're working on a GPS system for all of our city trucks and vehicles to make sure we don't duplicate routes and to make sure we're not only as fuel efficient as we can, but also environmentally friendly. This is a green issue also.
But while the gas prices are not having a big impact on Beachwood's budget, it's a different story for service director Pekarek's workers.
PEKAREK: My laborers have mentioned maybe changing hours. I know some of them have already carpooled coming in.
At the same time, state police are also changing their ways to compensate for their 26% higher fuel costs. A spokesman says they've cut down on overtime by consolidating dispatch centers, and are doing more stationary patrols on the highway.