Lack of Heavy Snow Benefiting Taxpayers
By: Jacob Long, WMBD/WYZZ-TV
Updated: January 2, 2013
BLOOMINGTON - Taxpayers have a reason to enjoy our mostly dry winter.
It's saving them thousands of dollars. Cities like Bloomington aren't using as much salt.
Leaders say by now they should've used about 5,000 tons of salt, but they've only used 1,000 tons so far.
The reason is because the area has not seen any significant snowfall, only a couple of inches, which requires fewer snow plows out on the streets.
Bloomington even has 3,000 tons of salt leftover from last winter.
That all translates to savings of about $400,000, but there's a catch.
The city is running out of storage room.
"Bloomington is evaluating right now an east-side satellite facility. That would be ideal both from an immediate standpoint and a long term standpoint," he said.
Bloomington's one and only salt facility is downtown and can only hold 6,000 tons of salt.
State contracts require cities to buy salt in advance every year.
Karch says he'll continue to order less depending on how much is used this winter.
It's saving them thousands of dollars. Cities like Bloomington aren't using as much salt.
Leaders say by now they should've used about 5,000 tons of salt, but they've only used 1,000 tons so far.
The reason is because the area has not seen any significant snowfall, only a couple of inches, which requires fewer snow plows out on the streets.
Bloomington even has 3,000 tons of salt leftover from last winter.
That all translates to savings of about $400,000, but there's a catch.
The city is running out of storage room.
"Bloomington is evaluating right now an east-side satellite facility. That would be ideal both from an immediate standpoint and a long term standpoint," he said.
Bloomington's one and only salt facility is downtown and can only hold 6,000 tons of salt.
State contracts require cities to buy salt in advance every year.
Karch says he'll continue to order less depending on how much is used this winter.
