TOCCOA, Ga. ¡ª Gas is good, financially, for the city of Toccoa.

Emery Stephens, finance director for the city, said gross profits from natural-gas sales are the highest they have ever been.

¡°At April 30, the margin on gas, the difference between the price of gas purchased and the gas sold, was $4,587,000," Stephens said. "That is a record number. It is better than any years I have seen.¡±

Stephens said selling gas is an unpredictable endeavor, and a profitable year comes from a variety of factors.

The city of Toccoa has sold $13 million worth of gas in the past 10 months, officials said.