Clark Aurora Highway Superintendent David Gunner estimates that the mild winter will save the town approximately $75,000.

Since the Highway Department’s budget runs by calendar year, Gunner said there is about $21,000 left over from the 2011 budget.

“In August, we signed the contract to purchase the salt for this year,” he said. “We have to commit to buying a certain amount of salt each year, but we get a little bit of leeway.”

Municipalities have the option of taking as little as 70 percent of the salt set aside through contract, or as much as 130 percent. Gunner ordered about 2,000 tons in August, which has been the average amount the department has used during the past several years.

“I don’t anticipate having to use more than the 70 percent we ordered for this winter,” he said. “That will save us about $25,000.”

Gunner Of the 2,000 tons purchased in August, Gunner said the department has used only about 824 tons thus far.

He said the department has also performed preventive maintenance on its equipment.

“For example, I just put all new tires on the trucks,” he said.

Due to the savings from salt costs, Gunner figured it was a good time to make sure everything was in order with the department’s supplies.

Gunner also pointed to the department’s splitting of shifts as a big reason for savings.

“We have two shifts now,” he said. “The day shift goes from 4 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The night shift goes from 1 to 9:30 p.m. This way, we don’t have to wait until snow piles up to go out.”

Gunner pointed out a chart from 2007 showing that a little more than 600 hours of overtime was paid out in the department during a January pay period.

“I don’t think we’re going to have 600 hours of overtime total for this whole winter period,” said Gunner.

In the meantime, the department’s employees have been performing other work, including painting the restrooms in the Aurora Town Library.

Elma Highway Superintendent Wayne Clark doesn’t see this winter as making much of a difference.

“It depends on whether you’re talking about the budget year or the winter year,” Clark said.

The budget year for the Elma Highway Department runs from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31 of each calendar year.

“I won’t really be able to tell until Dec. 31 [2012],” said Clark.

He said that’s due to the rock salt being ordered well in advance. He purchased about 4,100 tons of salt between New York State and Erie County in March or April 2011. But, he cautioned, the 2011 budget year contained not only October, November and December 2011, but also January, February and March. Therefore, the salt he ordered for the 2012 budget year will contain October, November, and December 2012.

“The fall wasn’t too bad [in 2011], but we still have two months to go this year,” he said.

Clark said 70 percent of the rock salt he purchases is by contract either through the state or the county. He also said the salt is not used strictly with major snowstorms.

“We went out [to plow] three times last night,” Clark said referring to the quick blast of snow that struck the area on Sunday. “People don’t realize that we require the same amount of salt for little storms as we do for big ones.”

The need to plow on Sunday also required the Highway Department to use overtime for the employees, said Clark.

“Those little storms add up,” he said. “And don’t forget, ice needs salt to melt also.”

email: paulo@beenews.com