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Porter County approves salt-rationing plan, staff seeks additional $200,000 to buy more salt
Summary
County commissioners approved a highway superintendent plan to ration road salt in low-priority areas and accepted a staff request to seek roughly $200,000 in additional appropriation to buy up to the state bid maximum to avoid shortages this winter.
Porter County commissioners voted Jan. 6 to approve a plan from highway staff to ration winter road salt in lower-priority areas while seeking additional funding to expand purchases under the state bid.
Highway staff said the county already has about 3,300 tons of salt on hand but faces several months of winter weather. "What we recommend is that in certain areas, we start cutting back on a lot of salt," the highway superintendent told the board, citing subdivisions without hills or bridges and low-traffic straight county roads as places to reduce application.
Staff warned that unplanned ice events can consume large quantities of material and presented a budget estimate tied to the state procurement rules that allow purchase from 88% up to 120% of the bid. The superintendent said he will propose an additional appropriation and request the county council for about $200,000 to permit buying up to the maximum under the state bid; "I will be sending you a, an additional appropriation ... asking for another $200,000 of salt," the superintendent said.
Commissioners discussed the trade-offs of rationing, whether to seek grants, and past experience paying higher prices when buying off the open market. One commissioner called the proposal "cautious" and said it was intended to avoid running out of salt. The board approved the superintendent's rationing plan by voice vote.
Next steps: staff will forward the appropriation request to the county council and implement the rationing policy for selected low-priority routes while maintaining application on hills, bridges and high-traffic stretches.
