Webster County taxpayers are on track to save 5 percent on natural gas provided to county buildings, according to Webster County Supervisor Bob Thode.

The county signed a sales agreement Tuesday with WoodRiver Energy to provide gas for six county buildings.

“They did the figures,” Thode said. “If we had done this two years ago we would have saved the taxpayers about $4,500.”

WoodRiver Energy is based in Denver, Colorado. It supplies natural gas in Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, Wisconsin and Wyoming. It entered the Webster County marketplace about one year and a half ago.

The company provides the gas which is distributed by utilities — MidAmerican Energy in Fort Dodge and Alliant Energy and Black Hills Energy elsewhere in the state.

WoodRiver Energy says the savings are possible because gas usage patterns for commercial clients differ significantly from those of the residential customers.

The company partnered with the Greater Fort Dodge Growth Alliance earlier this year to provide these 5 percent savings to any business in town that is a Growth Alliance member.

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Weed complaints in the county have been down this year, according to Andy Stanberg, county weed commissioner.

And dealing with those three was simple, Stanberg said — only two were on private land, and when he spoke to the landowners they took care of the problem.

Stanberg said Palmer amaranth has been added to Iowa’s noxious weed list, but while it has been an issue in some parts of the state he hasn’t seen any in Webster County.

Brush control is done each year on a quarter of the county, and weed spraying in the right of way for half the county. Next year the southern half of the county will be sprayed and brush control will be done on the southern quarter of the county.