It would be a good idea, according to County Highway Superintendent Tim Hens, to install cameras to monitor the gas pumps used to fill up county vehicles.
In some counties employees have been caught stealing gas. Hens didn't come right out and say any Genesee County personnel are stealing gas, but he would like to have a system that would much such theft easier to prove.
"The only way to catch somebody now is to compare like vehicle to like vehicle," Hens said. "If one pickup truck is getting 15 miles to the gallon and another is getting only nine, then I'm going to say 'something is not right here,' but you're still dealing with somebody with only circumstantial numbers."
A camera would allow supervisors to check tapes (digitally stored) and see if employees are bringing in personal vehicles at the same time they fuel county vehicles, or filling up gas cans.
Legislators Ray Cianfrini and Bob Baush balked at the $19,000 price tag for the video surveillance system during the Public Service meeting Monday. They wondered if fewer cameras could be used, or if surveillance was necessary at all.
"Is it worth paying $19,000 to save $40 in gas?" Cianfrini asked.
Besides monitoring the pumps, the proposed system can also monitor the parts garage and could eventually be expanded to monitor nearby DeWitt Park.
Hens said that as much as $2,000 annually from potentially pilfered gas could be saved and the camera system -- which needs to be infrared to read license plates at night -- has a 10-year life expectancy.
But it isn't all about how much might be stolen, which is a hard number to pin down with the current system, Hens said.
"On principle, I don’t know if you want an employee who is stealing $40 of gas," Hens said. "I think you would rather catch those people."
Currently, fueling county vehicles involves a two-card process -- one card for the employee and one card for the vehicle.
As the meeting progressed, Tim Yaeger, director of Emergency Services, walked in. He and Undersheriff Bill Sheron spoke briefly and then Yaeger piped up, saying there might be Homeland Security grants available for the camera system.
Since the fuel yard is essential to critical services in an emergency, it needs to be protected, Yaeger said.
The motion to buy the system was tabled until Yaeger could research the availability of grants.
