Monroe County had enough road salt supply mix for the winter storm that passed through Indiana the weekend of Jan. 24, but having enough for the future will depend on the weather.
Monroe County Highway Director Lisa Ridge said before the storm there were issues getting some of their salt shipments on time, specifically treated salt. Ridge said she thinks the delays are due to the demand in people needing to replenish their stock from the snow in December.
“I believe our last order with Cargill was December 16, where we had ordered the original,” she said. “And I want to say that might be fulfilled at this point, but we still have another 500 tons out there that we probably ordered the first of January that we haven't received.”
Orders usually take three to five days to be received, she said. The county highway department went ahead and switched to untreated Morton salt, which has helped with getting their stock replenished.
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Bloomington received about 15 inches of snow the weekend of Jan. 24. Ridge said the county department emphasized to the drivers to use as little material as possible because it would be plowed off with the snow accumulation. Salt and sand mix was used more around the hills and curves of roads, she said.
Additionally, budget concerns have been raised from the snowstorm. Ridge said employees came in around 5 p.m. Jan. 24 and stayed until 5 p.m. Jan. 26. Between labor, materials and equipment it cost about $300,000. She said the budget for overtime pay is about $150,000 and those two days took about $83,000 of it.
She said she’s concerned she may have to go back to the council to ask more funds to get through the winter.
Ridge said county crews are prepared for another storm, depending on the magnitude of it. The last few years February was their hardest month, she said. Ridge said she is hoping this year it was January.