GALLATIN, TN — Fuel costs for Gallatin’s city departments are expected to exceed the budget by $68,018 for 2005-06, based on current prices, according to the News Examiner newspaper. Fluctuating prices have prompted city departments to look for ways to cut expenses to make up overages in fuel costs. The Gallatin Police Department has been hit the hardest by higher gas prices, according to city records. The police department paid 80 percent more for fuel products including gasoline, oil, diesel fuel, and grease in September 2005 than was spent the year before. The projected overage in fuel costs for the police department for 2005-06 is $27,482, city finance records show. One of the ways the department is cutting down on fuel costs is by having officers ride together on patrols in some instances. Another way the police department is trying to cut back on fuel costs is by limiting the number of police personnel who can drive city vehicles home. Also, the city’s residential waste collection department paid 37 percent more for fuel costs in September 2005 than was spent the year before. The city council has discussed only allowing city personnel who live within two miles of the Gallatin city limits to drive city vehicles home from work.