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Ellis County public works defends snow response; explains why county did not pretreat roads
Summary
Public works staff updated commissioners on snow‑removal operations during a recent storm, explained limitations of brine pretreatment in freezing‑rain conditions and said crews worked long shifts to keep major routes open across roughly 1,400 miles of county roadway.
Brandon, a member of Ellis County Public Works staff, told the commission crews worked extended hours during a recent winter storm to keep primary routes open and said the county did not pretreat roads with brine because conditions — heavy freezing rain and drifting — would have rendered pretreatment ineffective.
"When you have that amount of freezing rain and freezing drizzle, that's water. It's gonna melt. It's gonna take away the brine with it," Brandon said, explaining that pretreatment is effective only in a "Goldilocks" set of conditions and that applying brine during the recent storm would have increased county cost without clear safety benefits.
Brandon described the county's operational priorities: open paved (hard‑surface) roads first, then major collectors and Federal Aid Secondary (FAS) routes that link population centers, before moving to minor collectors and local roads. "You start at your biggest and work your way down to your least traveled," he said.
He said county crews have to balance continuous operations, equipment setup and personnel safety; Ellis County maintains approximately 1,400 miles of roadway and does not have round‑the‑clock snow removal for every road. Commissioners thanked crews for the effort, noting staff left families to work through the storm.
The county noted practical limits for clearing private driveways: public works' priority is opening roadways for public travel and the county does not clear private driveways after a plow pass pushes snow into a driveway.
Brandon also said the county can coordinate with the city to use a brine machine when conditions suit pretreatment, and that the county is hiring for equipment‑operator positions. He reported only minor equipment issues — light bar fuses and chain adjustments — and no major breakdowns during the event.
On emergency access, Scott Brown, Ellis County Sheriff, said the sheriff's office, EMS, fire departments and public works coordinate on calls and will work together to reach residents when an emergency prevents normal access.
Ending
Commissioners urged residents to stay home during severe weather and thanked public works and emergency personnel for continuing to respond throughout the storm.
