Town, School District Spar Over Fuel Surcharge

By Dan Bustard, Eagle Times, Claremont, N.H.

Jan. 22–CHESTER — A small spat over the town charging local schools a five percent administrative fee for using its fuel pumps may ruffle a few feathers but appears unlikely to break out into a major rift.

The Windsor Southwest Supervisory Union has taken over bookkeeping for the Chester Town School District, and Business Manager Meredith Austin noticed a five percent fee added to the diesel fuel bill when Green Mountain and Chester-Andover school buses were filling up at the town garage.

Town Manager Susan Spaulding said the administrative fee has been in place since before she started working in Chester more than a decade ago on a handshake type of arrangement.

“I was told it has always been there,” Austin said. “I asked why has it always been there.” Spaulding said the fee has not been changed since the late 1970s but Austin balked at paying the fee. The December bill to the town has not been paid by the supervisory union, and selectmen were less than enthused.

“Then can probably look somewhere else, I think,” Selectman Michael LeClair said.

The select board decided to stick with the fee and ask Spaulding to formalize an agreement between the town and the supervisory union, arguing the town is liable for any problems at the pumps and should be able to charge a fee.

“It’s probably something we should look at,” said Austin, who admitted telling Spaulding she doubts the town would appreciate the supervisory union taking five percent for handling $3 million in state education money funneled through the town to the schools.

LeClair, who said it is only a matter of time before a spill requiring a cleanup takes place, said five percent sounded reasonable to him. George Cook, a member of the town school district board, said he will check why the supervisory union does not charge a similar fee.

“It’s all coming out of the same pocket,” Cook said.

The school buses are filled at a cheaper rate than the supervisory union could get from a gas station, Austin said.

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Copyright (c) 2006, Eagle Times, Claremont, N.H.

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