OSHKOSH, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – It’s been a pretty easy winter for many snowplow drivers this year. That’s partly thanks to the mild temperatures we’ve been having.
The warmer weather could also help some area’s bottom line.
A lack of snow and ice means less salt on the roads. And for the city of Oshkosh, that means more money for when winter finally does arrive.
“We’ve used very little salt, so far, this year,” said Oshkosh public works director James Rabe.
“That will have an impact on us, you know, as we go through the season.”
The city’s salt dome holds about 4,600 tons of salt. Rabe tells FOX 11 it’s still about 90% full.
“We’ve probably only used about 600 or 700 tons, at the most, so far, this winter.”
One year, the city ended in the negative. Another year, they ended in the positive. This year Rabe says things are looking good so far.
“Three years ago, we ended the year with our salt budget, you know, almost $70,000 in the positive. Last year, we ended almost $70,000 in the negative, so it can swing dramatically, one way or another.”
Snowplow drivers could be seen out earlier last week’s storm. There wasn’t much snow to clear before that.
“Certainly, without having to call people in at all hours of the night for snow plowing, or salting operations, you know, it does have a positive impact on our overtime budget, as well,” said Rabe.
Warmer weather hasn’t been good for everyone, though. As Winnebago County Highway commissioner Ray Palonen tells FOX 11.
“We haven’t had the amount of snow that stayed on the ground, but we’ve had several incidents, where we’ve had to send out the crews to plow and to do winter maintenance, so it’s not really saving us any money at all.”
The city of Appleton Public Works Department says it’s just starting its 2020 budget, so it’s way too early to see an impact.
