Pain at the Pump: Surging gas prices stretch local budgets

Connecticut drivers are paying sharply more at the pump than they were a year ago, with gas prices up more than $1 per gallon — a surge that is hitting wallets across the Northwest Corner even as prices steadied briefly last week.

The spike comes as global tensions continue to cause oil prices to rise. Prices briefly stabilized following news of a two-week ceasefire between the United States and Iran, but uncertainty returned after talks ended without an agreement, leaving drivers bracing for continued volatility.

Residents of the Northwest Corner and Eastern Dutchess County continue to pay hefty prices at the pump, according to data collected by AAA. Despite high prices, demand for fuel continues to climb.

Just a month ago, Sharon resident and local blacksmith William Trowbridge said a fill-up typically cost around $75. Now, for the first time, he paid more than $100 to fill his truck — a jump that left him concerned when the total climbed into triple digits.

“It makes me angry,” Trowbridge said at the Shell station located at 17 Gay St. in Sharon. “Now, I’m starting to think about combining errands when I go out.”

Trowbridge, like many others, attributes the spike in gas prices to “a war that shouldn’t even be happening.”

At the Gay Street station, employee Jacob Enquest said customer reactions have shifted in recent weeks.

“Whether it was about politics and the war or the prices themselves, everyone had something to say,” Enquest said. “Now people just want to know if prices are going to come down, and I have to tell them their guess is as good as mine.”

Local and National Prices

According to data compiled by AAA, the average price for a gallon of regular gas in Connecticut held steady last week at $4.08, unchanged from the prior week but significantly higher than earlier this year.

In neighboring New York, prices are slightly higher, averaging $4.12 per gallon as of April 13, according to AAA.

Prices in both states have climbed sharply in recent weeks. In Connecticut, gas is up 56 cents from a month ago and more than $1 higher than this time last year. Nationally, the average price rose to $4.12 per gallon, up 49 cents from a month ago.

Connecticut currently ranks 16th in the nation for highest gas prices, while New York prices are largely in line with the national average. The lowest prices are found in Oklahoma and Kansas, where drivers are paying around $3.44 to $3.49 per gallon, while California and Hawaii are paying nearly $6 per gallon.

Legislation

Rising gas prices are impacting more than just individual drivers, with local businesses, schools and municipalities also feeling the strain as they adjust budgets and daily operations to absorb higher costs.

Local legislators in Connecticut and New York have called for relief for individuals at the pump, receiving mixed results. While Gov. Ned Lamont recently dropped hopes of a gas tax holiday in Connecticut, Dutchess County, New York, legislators advanced a resolution to cap the county’s sales tax on gasoline and diesel at $3 per gallon beginning June 1.

“It will be a modest saving, but any amount helps,” said Dutchess County Legislator Chris Drago D-19, who supported the resolution initiated by the Democratic Caucus.

Drago described the price increase as “one of many unfortunate results from this needless war in the Middle East,” adding that Dutchess County should not get a “windfall of taxes” from the war.

“As we know, it’s more and more expensive to live where we live, and it’s hitting families hard,” Drago said. “Anything we can do to alleviate any financial strain at this time is important.”

In Connecticut, lawmakers have explored similar relief measures, though no gas tax holiday has been approved.

Though there is precedent for a gas holiday in Connecticut, like when the Ukraine war first broke out, it has yet to happen since the Iran conflict began.

State Sen. Stephen Harding (R-30), who is an advocate for the tax holiday, said that the concept could be revisited if prices remain high.“I’m still hopeful,” Harding said. “If prices remain high, I think there’s a chance it could still happen. People in this state need this type of relief right now.”

The state levies a 25-cent-per-gallon tax on regular gasoline.

For some families, pump prices reflect tipping point

For some local residents, rising gas prices are compounding an already difficult cost of living — forcing tough decisions about where to live and how to get to work.

Guy Gnerre and his wife, Kim, are now facing exactly that reality. The couple, both longtime educators, have lived in the Salisbury area for about 25 years. Gnerre has worked as a special education teacher at Salisbury Central School for the past seven years, while his wife has spent 25 years at Hotchkiss. Now, they are preparing to make a significant change to adapt to the rising cost of living in the region.

Gnerre said home ownership in the area has been a dream for his family, but it has remained just out of reach. The couple has rented locally for more than two decades and is now being forced to move nearly 30 miles away to Torrington after receiving notice that their landlord plans to return and renovate the property.

With a daughter in college and the cost of living at an all-time high, the couple worry about what’s ahead, including fears of dipping into retirement savings to purchase a home that Gnerre said needs lots of work and is in an unfamiliar city.

“Yes, we are going to get obliterated in terms of gas,” Gnerre said, noting that he and his wife plan to carpool after their move. But it’s not just fuel prices that are affecting his family. “Gas is part of the checklist,” he said, adding, “I wish it was just the fuel.”

Schools that rely on diesel say ‘Business as usual – for now’

With diesel prices outpacing regular fuel prices, schools throughout the region are keeping a close eye on costs for buses, but say they’re not ready to make significant changes.

In districts that outsource bus contracts to independent companies, schools typically agree on a diesel rate per gallon at the start of the year. Salisbury Central School, for example, has a contract with All-Star Transportation and prepays for gallons of diesel based on a negotiated price.

“We’re set for the year,” said Sue Bucceri, administrative assistant to the principal. “We’re locked into the price we agreed upon last summer,” before diesel prices surged.

The average price for a gallon of diesel currently costs $5.92 a gallon in Connecticut, up from $3.79 a year ago, according to AAA.

Bucceri works on the budgeting process in partnership with Region One’s business office, and said SCS is not making significant changes for the 2026-2027 budget based on gas prices.

“We didn’t do anything out of the ordinary,” Bucceri said. “We made a nominal increase on price-per-gallon,” she added. At this time, she said the school is fortunate that it’s not being significantly impacted from a budget perspective.

Just across the border in New York, the Webutuck Central School District owns its own fleet of buses and isn’t benefiting from a locked-in price model.

“Gas prices do impact us,” said Robert Farrier, business administrator for the Webutuck Central School District. However, Farrier said he and his colleagues are not worried about the budget at this time, though they plan to keep an eye on prices.

Farrier said the business office padded the transportation section of their budget during the COVID-19 pandemic, and, to date, they are prepared for unexpected events such as rising fuel costs.

“We’re not canceling field trips or anything like that,” he said.