Hoffman Estates starts stocking up on salt tonight

Breaking news: Chicago-area residents should expect a "very cold period" after Thanksgiving.

That's according to the winter weather projections in the 2009 edition of the "The Old Farmer's Almanac," in stores in next month.

Weather predictions are affecting local municipalities like Hoffman Estates, where the village board tonight will discuss its road salt options at 5:30 p.m. at village hall.

The prime topic is a proposed purchase of 2,500 tons of road salt. Coming after the harshest winter in 40 years, the demand for salt has set prices soaring, leaving salt companies to lick their fingers.

Hoffman Estates Village Manager James Norris said last year the village bought salt at the premium price of $48 per ton, which looks like a discount compared with the current proposed price of $127 per ton.

That figure doesn't include delivery, which brings it closer to $130 per ton - or a 171 percent raise over last year's prices.

Hoffman Estates last week announced a $4.4 million, or 4.2 percent cut in its operating budget, as officials cited lower than projected sales taxes. Despite the need to reduce spending, the need for salt was too much to ignore, Norris said. That's why they called tonight's special meeting, instead of waiting to authorize the salt purchase at next week's board meeting.

"If you don't jump on it you're going to lose to someone else," Norris said.

Norris said officials aren't looking to build a salt surplus and are having difficulty finding enough salt to meet their normal needs. Only through what Norris calls "good detective work" did village officials find the 2,500 tons of salt sold by National Salt Supply Inc. in Huntley.

Municipalities from 15 states in the Midwest and Northeast are all hunting for salt, Norris said. Hoffman Estates usually uses more than 7,000 tons each winter. But thanks to last winter's overly frigid conditions, several towns made emergency salt orders later in the season. For example, Hoffman Estates purchased more than 2,000 tons of salt in February for $99,000.

Norris said the village already has 1,200 tons of salt secured, but if the village board tonight goes ahead and purchases the 2,500 tons, Hoffman Estates will have between a third to a half of its regular annual supply, Norris said.

And now, back to the Farmer's Almanac, which has a winter forecast for the Chicago area which includes "above-normal" snowfall. It predicts December temperatures will dip 11 degrees lower than average.

The 2009 edition of the book hits stores Sept. 9.