Montgomery public works outlines snow-and-ice control plan — 162 lane miles, anti-icing and parking enforcement discussed

Public works presented the village's annual Snow and Ice Control Plan, describing the department’s mission, route assignments and tools to prepare for winter operations. Director Wolf said the village covers about 162 lane miles and 15 critical facilities and that all snow-removal work is performed in-house rather than contracted.

"We cover about a 162 lane miles of roadway," Wolf said, and staff explained they use forecasting tools (Century DTN and other apps), calibrate application rates for each event and are ramping up liquid anti-icing at three critical facilities to reduce granular salt usage.

Council heard details of staff's salt request approved earlier in the meeting: staff ordered roughly 980 tons at about $68.30 per ton and reported an inventory on hand of between 1,500 and 2,000 tons. Wolf said the department's pre-winter planning aims to balance staffing, equipment readiness and environmental protection of the Fox River watershed.

Trustees pressed staff on the recurring problem of cars parked on streets that prevent curb-to-curb cleaning. Public works said officers respond when dispatch is called and that CSOs can issue citations; trustees suggested increased signage and discussed whether the local ordinance (no on-street parking after two inches accumulation) should be revised or whether a 'no on-street parking after any snowfall' approach would be easier to enforce. One trustee recommended a plow 'ride-along' to show residents the operational challenges.

No changes to the ordinance or enforcement policy were made at the meeting; staff said the presentation is intended to update trustees and solicit feedback ahead of winter.