A city street operations representative (introduced as Jesse Reeb's street superintendent) told the Legal & Finance Committee on Nov. 27 that Rapid City operates a three-level winter-response system, with treatment ordered by priority: arterial and emergency routes first, then collectors and school routes, then residential streets.

The presenter described service levels as: Level A (roughly 2–4 inches, focused on arterials and hazardous geometry), Level B (sub-collectors and higher-traffic residential streets, and includes Level A work; may include contracted private sector assistance), and Level C (greater than 6 inches, all remaining streets, typically requiring outside contractors). The city runs 21 snow routes with 31 available drivers (24 daytime, seven overnight), and reports roughly 400 mainline miles treated per event and about 2,000 total lane miles to be covered across the city.

The presentation emphasized materials and environmental choices. Rapid City uses pretreated salt (a 50% beet-juice and 50% Apex solution) as a pre-wetting agent applied before spreading; this improves activation at lower temperatures and helps salt adhere to pavement. The speaker said brine lowers the freezing point of water to about 18 degrees and that brine was most effective when applied two to three days before a storm; it is less effective once snow has accumulated. The city purchased an automated brine maker in 2023 and a mixing table this year to reduce labor and the need to buy higher-cost 'clean salt.' The presenter said the city uses about 24,000 gallons of brine per event covering roughly 300 mainline miles and that annual brine production and related salt use translate to an estimated 600,000 pounds of salt to make brine and about 5,000 tons of granular salt placed on roads annually. Sand use was described at roughly 700 tons per year and is applied primarily on hills and intersections or when temperatures are too low for chemical deicers; sweepers are used after storms to recover sand.

Committee members asked how residents can learn their street's priority. The presenter said staff are working with the GIS department to publish maps that break down Level A/B/C routes; maps will be posted to the city webpage under 'streets' and shared on social media during snow events so residents can identify which routes are being plowed.

The presenter also described operational preparations: an annual 'winter switch over' in October where summer activities pause and equipment is calibrated, inspected and refitted for snow operations; a standardized equipment inspection ('71 check') is performed on winter equipment. Staff said two new snow routes were added this year due to city expansion and that downtown snow removal requires hauling snow off-site due to limited storage within the downtown boundary. The presentation closed with the presenter noting substantial reductions in salt usage over eight years due to brine and mechanical changes.

The committee did not vote on policy changes during the presentation; staff answered member questions and said public-facing maps and additional outreach are planned.