Community Corner
Tame Winter Saving Village Thousands of Dollars
Spring-like temperatures and the absence of winter weather generates savings for the Village this winter season.
With the lack of snow and winter weather, Sussex is saving thousands of dollars by not using its salt supplies, but Village Administrator Jeremy Smith said though the snowfall has been tame, winter has just begun.
Since fall of 2011 to the present day, the Village used a humble 35 tons of salt.
This is dramatically lower than last season’s salt usage of 1,785 tons. Though it is only mid-January, a substantial difference in salt usage can be seen.
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This winter season the price for salt is $59.16 per ton.
After doing the math, the Village has only spent $2,070 on salt so far this winter season, compared to last season’s salt expense of $105,600.
The total does not account for the difference in salt price between years, but it generates a good estimate on the cost.
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According to Smith, the Village generally plans for ten major winter storms per season. A season vaguely starts at the beginning of fall and ends in late February.
The department of public works sets a goal budget of $100,000 for salt costs per year, but Smith said the expense can be as low as $52,000 or as high as $140,000.
In a report released by the National Weather Service, the Milwaukee area has seen less than five inches of snowfall this season at the official airport observation sites.
How does this gentle winter season compare to years past?
As of this week, Milwaukee ranks third on the list with 1.7 inches of snowfall. The year 1889 leads the list with 1.1 inches of snowfall.
Just 10 years ago, Milwaukee only saw 2.6 inches of snowfall during a 193-day period, showing the lack of snow might not be as uncommon as we think.
Wisconsin will remind everyone winter is still around as a winter storm watch is issued for Thursday. Today’s TMJ4 reports 4 to 8 inches of snow are possible as a cold front approaches later tonight, which is hard to believe after temperatures reached 50 degrees the past two days.
Smith said an update should be made in late February to see if any actual salt-savings occurred over the season.
“I’m not going to say we’re saving anything until the season is up,” Smith laughed.
