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Commissioners authorize county to join WEX fuel‑card program as temporary backup, pending legal review
Summary
The board authorized the county manager to sign a fuel card service agreement with WEX to provide tax‑exempt, card‑based fueling as a contingency while county pumps are replaced. Approval was contingent on legal review, a corrected phone number in the contract, and confirmation of motor‑fuel tax exemption.
Ouray County authorized the county manager June 10 to sign a fuel‑card service agreement with WEX to provide vehicle fuel cards for county fleets as an interim option while the county replaces aging fuel pumps.
The agreement would issue cards that stay with vehicles, provide driver IDs, and deliver usage statistics by vehicle. Staff said the program would be used primarily as a contingency while county pumps at the Ridgeway yard are replaced; cards would be distributed to vehicles (including ambulances and road equipment) and configured to be tax‑exempt.
Key conditions attached to the board's authorization: the county's signature must be subject to legal review; staff must correct a phone‑number typo in the contract; staff must verify that card transactions will be exempt from motor fuels taxes; and the board asked that employees continue to use the county pump(s) when available to minimize cost. Staff estimated approximately 100 vehicles and a rough annual fuel‑spend benchmark of about $300,000 based on 2024 usage; the motion directed staff to use the WEX program as a backup where county pumps are unavailable.
Commissioners and staff discussed network coverage concerns in rural areas; staff said the program claims 95% station coverage under the state contract and that EMS staff had reported good experience with WEX in other jurisdictions. The motion included confirming tax‑exempt status and that the county would treat WEX as a backup rather than an immediate replacement for on‑site fueling.
The motion passed unanimously, contingent on legal review and the clerical corrections noted in the packet.
