While Sussex residents might be happy about the lack of back-breaking shoveling this winter, village officials are excited about the lack of something else: road salt.

During the 2010-11 winter season, the village saw around 60 inches of precipitation, whether that be rain, sleet or snow. To avoid the slippery roads, Sussex used more than 1,700 tons of road salt, costing a little more than $105,000.

If salt prices remained the same as last winter, the village would have saved nearly $60,000 in two months. 

This winter season, however, has been quite different.

Between December and January, the village estimates it used about 300 tons of salt. That’s compared to almost 1,300 tons during the same two months last winter, and not having to coat icy roads translates to money in the village’s pocketbook.

For example, if salt prices remained the same as last winter, the village would have saved nearly $60,000 in two months. 

But according to Melissa Weiss, assistant to the village administrator, Sussex doesn’t exactly consider the money saved as excess funds, and officials won’t be allocating it to be spent on a pet project.

“We typically carry the excess money over into the next year for salt use,” Weiss said. “In spring the Village Board decides what to do with that money, but it typically goes toward the following year’s salt use, and some might go into savings.”

The National Weather Service reports that December and January saw roughly 4 inches of precipitation in total, while February’s numbers aren’t currently available.