Council hears proposal for municipal fuel tanks to boost fleet resilience; no vote taken

The Norway City Council discussed a staff proposal to install two 1,000-gallon fuel tanks to enable in-house fueling of municipal vehicles during fuel outages or major power events.

Staff explained the proposal would allow the public works fleet to refuel independently of local gas stations in emergency scenarios and could yield bulk fuel price savings. Initial quotes presented to council listed tank installation costs near $22,000 and total project costs (including gate automation and other upgrades) around $30,000; staff noted a possible additional cost for a concrete pad that may not have been included in the quote.

Council members described the concept as potentially useful for emergency management, but they also flagged that the project was not budgeted and would be better developed during the next budget cycle with a fuller cost-benefit analysis. No motion was made.

Staff said they would return with more detailed estimates and recommended placing the item in upcoming budget workshops for further consideration.