SCOTT COUNTY HANDLES VEHICLE MATTERS, BIDS

BENTON -- The Scott County Commission spent most of Tuesday morning trying to wrap up acquisition of the sheriff's department's vehicles before Christmas.

The commission will be taking over the sheriff's 10 patrol cars Jan. 1, and the county still needs to have an insurance policy set up by then. Scott County Commissioner Walter Bizzell said the commission advertised for bids on insurance and will be dealing with that matter at its next meeting.

"It's just kind of a slow changeover: getting the new cars ready to go on the road by Jan. 1 or Jan. 2," said Bizzell.

The county is outfitting some of the new vehicles with radios. The commission just completed working through the bids for gasoline for the cars.

Amerimart at 221 Winchester in Benton, Kellers Truck Service at Sikeston Route 2 and Rhodes 101 Stop on Highway 77 in Chaffee were the three stations that submitted bids. All three were accepted.

Amerimart and Rhodes are not selling the sheriff's department gas cheaper than the pump price but they will be doing the paperwork on the 18-cent-per-gallon refund the county will receive from the state.

Kellers is not only doing the paperwork but that station will sell gasoline to the sheriff's department at 4 cents a gallon less than the retail price.

Bizzell said this arrangement is similar to the one Scott County Sheriff Bill Ferrell has now. The spread of stations throughout the county is important in providing quick, convenient refueling of the sheriff's vehicles.

While all these developments are taking place there has been no reduction in the number of sheriff's cars that are servicing the county. New cars are being rotated in for outfitting when they can be freed up.