NORTH PLATTE, Neb. (AP) — The Lincoln County highway superintendent says the frugality his department has been practicing is getting costly.

Superintendent Jerry Hitchcock asked the Board of Commissioners on Monday to keep his department in mind as budgeting begins.

He hasn’t been able to replace any old, worn-out equipment and says his aging trucks and graders need lots of maintenance to meet the work demands. Hitchcock told the commissioners that, “We’ve practiced frugality out of necessity, but now it’s leading us down the road of becoming more expensive.”

He estimates that by the end of the fiscal year, June 30, the repairs will total as much as $275,000.