Snow Removal Policy

City workers from Street, Water, Sewer, and Drinking Water
worked together many long hours during last winter's late snowfall
removing lots of snow and keeping our streets free of ice!

SNOW REMOVAL POLICY
It is the City’s policy to remove snow as quickly and efficiently as possible from both the main streets and the “secondary” residential streets. Normally, the City uses salt for snow removal. In the event of larger snowfalls, the City then resorts to plowing in conjunction with salting. The City’s goal is to provide safe streets for its residents.

VARIABLES
The City must remain flexible in the face of varying weather, temperatures, and lengths of storms. The following is a list of some of the major variables that affect the City’s snow removal efforts.

PLOWING:  When City crews plow snow, the plowing cannot remove all the snow covering, leaving behind a light covering of snow. That remaining snow covering is treated with salt, normally at the conclusion of plowing operations.

TEMPERATURES:  To avoid wasting salt, salting of streets is cut back or curtailed in extremely low temperatures, as salt is ineffective at temperatures below ten (10) degrees.

LENGTH OF STORM:  In the event an extended storm is projected, City crews must react to ensure that salt is used effectively.

WIND CONDITIONS:  High winds can, especially in lower temperature ranges, cause salt to be ineffective and/or cause drifting, requiring plowing. Potentially either may reduce or postpone salting to avoid wasting salt.

AMOUNT OF PROJECTED SNOW:  In high snowfalls, salt cannot melt through inches of snow. Snowfalls in excess of two (2) inches require plowing. Salting may occur intermittently and/or at the conclusion of plowing, as the conditions require.

LOW SALT SUPPLY (UNLIKELY):  The City is constantly monitoring its salt supply, and immediately orders more salt as it is used. However, there have been (and may be) times when, beyond the City’s control, delivery of salt is slower than the City’s use, and our supply of salt is low. In that event, salting secondary/side streets would be curtailed in favor of the main streets.