Georgia agriculture commissioner says gas pump inspectors are short staffed

The state budget crunch is hitting those folks who inspect the gas pumps across Georgia.

Complaints against gas stations who are allegedly shorting customers typically go up along with the gas prices.

There were more than 1100 complaints last year.

And that's consuming the time of the Georgia Department of Agriculture's inspectors, who officials say are already short-staffed.

That's taking time away from routine inspections, which can prevent or identify problems with the pumps, says Tommy Irvin, the state agriculture commissioner. And problems with the pumps can result in discrepancies between the price and the amount of gas coming from the pump.

"We're understaffed to the point that I don't think we're able to give the people what they want," says Irvin. "What we're faced with when you give 80 percent time allotted for your employees for checking complaints, you have 20 percent of your time left to do routine inspections. That's not as frequent as it needs to be."

But there's a hiring freeze for state employees. And Governor Sonny Perdue and Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle are calling for possible budget cuts this year ranging from 3.5 percent to ten percent.

The agriculture department has a hotline for people suspecting a problem with a gas pump. That number is (404) 656-3605.