MCLENNAN COUNTY, Texas — Rising gas prices are impacting budgets across Waco. Waco ISD and local non-profits like Shepherd's Heart are facing nearly double the fuel costs compared to a few months ago..
- Waco ISD is experiencing an 84% increase in diesel prices and a 47% increase in unleaded fuel costs
- Because the prolonged price hikes were not accounted for in the current budget, the school district plans to increase its fuel budgets for next year.
- Local non-profit Shepherd's Heart is now spending $500 a week to fuel its delivery trucks, compared to around $200 just a few months ago.
- Despite the rising costs and an increase in the number of people needing assistance, Shepherd's Heart is finding ways to be more efficient so it can continue feeding the community.
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High gas prices are hitting the city of Waco hard, forcing local school districts and non-profits to find ways to cut back as fuel costs nearly double.
Waco ISD is experiencing an 84% increase in diesel prices and a 47% increase in unleaded fuel costs. Because of the current surge, the district is planning to increase its fuel budgets for next year.
"We have our own fuel tanks and we have our own fuel pumps, and so we buy it in bulk. So the price from last April, April of 25 for diesel was $2.54 and this year, this April is $4.67 per gallon," a Waco ISD Chief Financial Officer Sherry Smith. "Prolonged large increases such as the one that the nation is experiencing right now we're not budgeted for. And so if this continues, it is going to have a budgetary impact."
Local non-profit Shepherd's Heart is also looking for ways to be more efficient with its daily duties of feeding the community. The organization is seeing an increase in the people it serves.
"Everything that we're doing, we're looking at how can we be more productive with each trip and everything that we do. It's just a challenge," Bob Gager said.
Gager said diesel costs the non-profit $500 a week today to fill up its three delivery trucks, compared to $200 a few months ago.
"It's just getting more and more and more each week we see a little bit more, a little bit more, and I don't know where that ends. It just keeps growing," Gager said.
"It may be a Chinese fire drill for us to try to figure out how to keep cutting our costs down, but we're going to keep feeding people. We're not going to stop doing that," Gager said.
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