Free Fuel From City Of Joliet's Gas Pumps: How Many Gallons Did Hoosier Dustin Anderson Obtain At Joliet?

JOLIET, IL — In addition to paying department heads nearly $200,000 to work at Joliet City Hall, one of the little-known fringe benefit perks for roughly a dozen management-exempt staff under city manager Beth Beatty is the use of city of Joliet fuel pumps, free of charge, at the taxpayer's expense.

Dustin Anderson, hired by Beth Beatty in 2024 and removed from performing his job as director of community development in August, was one of those high-ranking city officials allowed to fuel up his personal vehicle anytime he needed to, during his employment at the Joliet City Hall.

Through a series of Freedom of Information Act requests, Joliet Patch has obtained the fuel consumption records for Anderson and a number of other city of Joliet officials. This story focused on Anderson's fuel usage given that his departure came suddenly and without an explanation from Beatty, the city manager responsible for removing him.

Anderson obtained free gasoline from Joliet's city-operated fuel pumps a total of 83 times between December 2024 and early August of this year.

Anderson, as it turned out, had one of the longest drives to downtown Joliet compared to his colleagues at City Hall. Anderson drove from Munster, Indiana, where he previously worked for several years as Munster's town manager. During the work week, Anderson drove from Munster to Joliet, a 40-mile drive, and as a result of those constant trips, his use of his Joliet-taxpayer funded fuel card added up considerably, Joliet Patch's analysis found.

According to Joliet's data, Anderson first began using the city of Joliet fuel pumps, free of charge, at the end of 2024. He obtained free fuel a total of four times that December.

However, last year, Anderson filled up his car a total of 50 times and this year, Anderson obtained the free fuel from Joliet's pumps a total of 29 times between January and mid-August, the last time Anderson was actively working at City Hall.

In Anderson's case, Joliet Patch found, it was not unusual for him to gas up his personal vehicle more than one time per week.

Anderson Sometimes Gassed Up His Car 6 Times In A Month

Outside of June and July, when it appeared Anderson took multiple weeks of vacation both in 2025 and 2026, Anderson typically obtained his free city of Joliet fuel at least once every week. In 2025, there were two months, January and September, in which Anderson visited the Joliet city fuel pumps to gas up his car at least a half dozen times, Joliet Patch found.

There were another seven months last year in which Anderson obtained his free fuel either four times or five times.

This year, prior to his departure in mid-August, Anderson had used his free fuel card at least four or five times during each of the first five months of the year, Joliet Patch found.

On average, Anderson pumped 9 to 10 gallons into his personal vehicle before driving home to northwest Indiana. Patch found six instances in which Anderson pumped between 12 and 15 gallons of gas, on Joliet taxpayer's dime in 2025 or 2026.

In addition to his free fuel card, Anderson received a monthly stipend called a personal vehicle allowance.

According to Joliet, Anderson received a starting salary of $180,000 back in 2024 that increased to $182,500 in the summer of 2025. Last December, Beatty increased his salary to $191,890 and that's what he was making at the time of his ouster in August. As for his monthly personal vehicle allowance, Anderson was paid $2,586 in 2025 and he had been paid $1,724 so far in 2026.

On August 20, Joliet Patch reported that Anderson, a 46-year-old Indiana native and resident who oversaw the city of Joliet's department of community development for nearly two and a half years, was no longer showing up for work at City Hall, sources informed Joliet Patch's editor.

When Beatty hired Anderson, she paid him $30,000 more than his predecessor Eva Marie Tropper was making.

"We cannot comment on employment matters," city of Joliet media engagement director Sydney Thompson responded to Joliet Patch's questions about Anderson's sudden and abrupt departure last month. "The City does not have a job posting announcement regarding the Director of Community Development position. Any information regarding open positions at the City of Joliet is available on our website at www.joliet.gov."

Back in December 2024, Joliet Patch published stories revealing that the City Council's majority planned to follow Beatty's recommendation of raising Joliet's property taxes and increasing Joliet's city fuel taxes that motorists pay every time they gas up their cars and trucks at the city's plethora of gas stations located all across the city such as Thorntons, Speedway and Lenny's Food and Fuel.

The Council's vote has helped generate more funds for city of Joliet's coffers, money that has helped fund the free fuel program for management exempt staff including, but limited, to Anderson.