Lake in the Hills said a fuel vendor for the village accidentally delivered the wrong variety of fuel, resulting in repair costs of more than $320,600 for public works vehicles that were damaged.

Director of Public Works Ryan McDillon said the fuel provider accidentally filled the public works diesel fuel tank with 850 gallons of unleaded gas shortly before a winter storm.

According to village documents, the supplier delivered fuel to the wrong tank to the village in November. The incorrect fuel got into about two-dozen public works vehicles that were filled up or topped off ahead of a winter storm that month.

During the storm, multiple vehicles “began to exhibit loss of power” and dashboard error codes, McDillon said.

Fleet maintenance staff were able to identify the mistake and began draining and replacing fuel in the fleet. McDillon said quick action by the public works staff prevented a what could have been a “catastrophic” failure of the snow removal fleet, adding it has been able to keep its level of snow removal readiness.

McDillon said the village staff worked with Bull Valley Ford and Rush Truck Centers to get repair quotes and possible long-term maintenance issues for an insurance claim.

According to village documents, the village submitted the quotes they got as an insurance claim to vendor Avalon Petroleum, but the claim is still pending.

In the meantime, the trucks have been rotating in and out of Bull Valley Ford to go through the recommended contaminated fuel protocol, McDillon said.

“In addition, there is an urgency due to the reliance on the Public Works fleet for daily operations as well as snow and ice control during the winter season. Trucks will need to be rotated out of service for repairs a few at a time until all are completed,” according to village documents.

McDillon said the village is engaged in ongoing communication with Avalon Petroleum and the company’s insurance carrier, as well as the Intergovernmental Risk Management Agency and the village’s law firm.

“All pertinent information is being exchanged,” McDillon said.

The Village Board briefly discussed the topic before passing approved the repair payments in a 6-0 vote.

McDillon said the fuel mixup was the first one of its kind in his tenure with the village. The repair bill the Village Board approved was for Ford trucks, and McDillon said several International trucks had also been affected, but the repair protocol for those vehicles was not as expensive.

The fuel contract also is up this year, McDillon said, adding the village will go out to bid, as is routine for large contracts. Avalon is welcome to participate, he said.

A message left for Avalon Petroleum was not returned.