RIPON, CA — It's only a matter of time until almost half of Ripon's city fleet will be powered by compressed natural gas, according to Manteca Bulletin newspaper. On December 14, the Ripon City Council authorized staff to proceed with the purchase and installation of a CNG back-up for the City Hall filling station — taking the pressure off of the only device currently being used to gas up two garbage trucks, two police cars, two building department cars, and two public works trucks. Two more garbage trucks that run off of the clean-burning and economical fuel are expected soon. "The need for the reliability of the current station is becoming quite critical," said Ripon City Engineer Matt Machado, who has spearheaded the city effort surrounding the alternative fuel. According to Machado, Ripon's main CNG station, which will serve regular vehicles as well as the city fleet once completed, is expected to go out to bid in the early spring months with construction expected to take about a year. Ripon received a $480,000 grant in 2000 to help fund the large CNG station that is currently in the planning stages with the stipulation that they would convert half of their city fleet — a goal that they are in the process of reaching. But even though the fuel is clean-burning and inexpensive, not all vehicles operate well with it in their tanks.