Algonquin overdoes it on salt budget
Every time it starts to snow, a cash register somewhere goes "cha-ching."
That's because Algonquin is on track to spend $130,000 this winter on salt, sand and related de-icing materials, officials said this week.
That figure is $9,200 beyond its original allotment of $120,800, Assistant Village Manager Jenna Kollings said.
On Tuesday, with permission from village trustees, Algonquin will set the bar at $150,800 for the next fiscal year when it comes to purchasing salt and related materials. The money comes from the village's motor fuel tax fund.
So far this winter, Algonquin has shelled out $102,500 on 2,570 tons of salt to combat the seemingly endless snowstorms, said Al Mozola, superintendent of streets.
Public works employees have taken to mixing salt with sand to help conserve it. There are 800 tons of this combined substance remaining, Mozola said.
And while it doesn't possess the same melting power as pure salt, "it does the trick," Mozola said.
The downside is that sand can wreak havoc on the village's storm sewer system, Kollings said.
Moreover, if and when the village uses 30 percent beyond the amount allotted in its state contract for salt, officials will be forced to find it from other sources, Mozola said.
"(We'll) probably pay up around $100 a ton and we're paying 40 bucks a ton (through the state deal)," he said. "It's the American way."
Algonquin isn't the only town that's going over budget with its salt.
Chuck Behm, public works director in South Elgin, said the village maxed out its amount under a state contract for a total of 2,860 tons, a nearly $28,000 increase over the village's budget.
Crews now are mixing salt 50-50 with sand and crews are concentrating on major roads, hills and bridges in an effort to conserve.
"It's a gamble. You never know what you'll get with snow, obviously. This year has a very high frequency of snow events," Behm said. "We try to beef it up every year. You just do a better job if you have more salt. The motorists expect it."