Southampton Town Launches Fuel Monitoring System

In an effort to save money, the Town of Southampton has a new system to monitor how fuel is being used for town cars.

A tank monitoring system and a fuel management system have recently been installed at the Central Garage in Hampton Bays to electronically monitor and track tank levels and fuel disbursements in over 200 town vehicles, the town said in a statement issued on Tuesday.

The town spent $392,305 for gas at that garage, which is the town's largest fueling station, according to 2012 records. As part of Supervisor Anna Throne-Holst's fleet management initiative, which began in 2010, this latest project has a potential cost savings of 8 to 10 percent in fuel consumption.

"This project is part of my on-going effort to identify areas within the town that can be improved by more efficient use of funds, personnel, and resources," Throne-Holst said. "This new fuel management system is a prime example of matching technology and resources to create a more efficient delivery of services while creating cost savings for the taxpayer.”

The Veeder Root Tank Monitoring System, used by many municipalities and businesses, will automatically provide electronic data on the fuel in the tank, including volume of product available and volume of product pumped out, temperature, and a series of safety alarms.

Similarly, the E. J. Ward Fuel Management System automatically provides electronic data collection at the fuel station, and monitors how much fuel is dispensed to each vehicle. "This system will allow the town to track fuel usage, which is essential for budgeting, and, in addition, has the future potential to track the fuel efficiency of the vehicles," according to a statement.

Town staff performed all work necessary to get these new systems online, saving the town more than $25,000. Town mechanics are installing the data modules on vehicles fueling at this station as they come.

The Department of Municipal Works conducted a Comprehensive Fleet Management Assessment to ultimately reduce fleet-related costs, while increasing efficiency and accountability, the town said in a statement.