Somerset's city-owned gas station opens to public
SOMERSET, Ky. — Somerset’s City Hall ventured into the retail gas business Saturday, opening a municipal-run filling station that supporters call a benefit for motorists and critics denounce as a taxpayer-supported swipe at the free market.
POLL: If the Republicans take the Senate in November, will that solve the problems in Washington DC?
The Somerset Fuel Center opened to the public selling regular unleaded gas for $3.36 a gallon, a bit lower than some nearby competitors. In the first three hours, about 75 customers fueled up at the no-frills stations, where there are no snacks, no repairs, and only regular unleaded gas.
The mayor says the station was created in response to years of grumbling by residents about stubbornly high gas prices in Somerset, a city of about 11,000 near Lake Cumberland, a popular fishing and boating haven.
The venture got a thumbs-up from customers who let their vehicles reach near-empty in anticipation of the city-run station’s opening.