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Wayne County officials say winter storms exhausted about half of salt stockpile; committee approves purchase and 30% contingency request
Summary
County equipment staff told the committee recent snowfall exhausted roughly 50% of the road-salt pile and recommended a 30% contingency; the committee approved a 23,850-ton salt purchase as part of a larger omnibus motion.
Wayne County equipment officials told the Committee on Public Services that recent storms have strained winter road-treatment supplies and recommended an additional contingency as procurement proceeds.
Eric Ludwig, assistant division director for equipment in the Department of Public Services, said the county "received about 27.9 inches last year" and was "currently, we are pushing over 28 inches," noting the county had used about half of its salt pile. "So we are going to request, 30% additional," Ludwig said, explaining the contingency was intended to "stay ahead of the game" given unpredictable winter conditions.
The committee approved Item 5, an amendment to a cooperative agreement with Detroit Saw Company to purchase 23,850 tons of road salt, as part of an omnibus motion covering Items 1–9. County staff explained that Detroit Salt Company is the vendor supplying the salt and that trucking or subcontracted haulers (including firms with out-of-state headquarters) carry the product to county storage domes.
Eric Ludwig told the committee the county had exhausted roughly half of the on-hand salt supply after heavy snowfall and wants to secure additional tonnage now to avoid shortages during the rest of the season. The committee approved the procurement along with the other items and will forward the package to the full board for final action.
The county did not provide dollar figures for the salt purchase in the committee's discussion. County staff also said the contingency portion of the contract would consume the total amount of salt the county can receive under the supplier's annual allotment; unused material would remain in county domes for next season.
