Village Saves on Rock Salt, Overtime Costs

Western Springs may not have won the Mega Millions Friday, but it has hit a jackpot of sorts.

The village has a stash of rock salt in storage and cash in the bank, thanks to the mild winter.

Matthew Supert, acting director of public works, said the village has spent less on rock salt compared to last year, and has a full shed for next winter.

Recent salt purchases totaled:

• $87,000 in 2010,
• $75,000 in 2011 and
• $13,000 in 2012 to date. This number may rise depending on how much the village will have to spend on rock salt in November and December.

And, the mild winter has kept overtime costs down.

The village’s fiscal year is on a calendar year, so Supert says his department gets new money in January, which is the middle of the snowplowing season. “With the new budget in January we can top off our rock salt supply and have money for overtime,” he said.

“We’ve had a big savings in overtime,” Supert said. Overtime costs are incurred when crews are needed for nighttime, weekend and holiday plowing.

The village spent $77,000 on overtime in 2010 and $52,000 in 2011. Some of the village’s 2011 funds were spent on the 20.2-inch snowstorm that hit on Feb. 1-2. It was the third-largest snowstorm in the Chicago area’s history.

Again, because the village’s budget is on a calendar year, overtime was not needed for plowing in January, February and March. Supert said he will not know the full extent of overtime costs until November and December, months which may bring heavy snowfall.

“Right now, we are in fantastic shape,” he said.

Western Springs is enjoying its largess because of record-breaking weather the area has experienced this winter, capping off with the warmest March in Illinois history.

When temperatures hit 81 on March 14, it was the earliest occurrence of 80-degree temperatures in the 135 years since area weather history has been recorded, said Ed Fenelon, meteorologist for the National Weather Service, Chicago office.

March 20’s high temperature of 85 degrees combined with the low of 63 is the kind of weather that is normal for the Fourth of July, Fenelon said. In all, March had eight days of temperatures 80 degrees or higher.