City triples spending on winter weather cleanup

The city of Springfield has spent $999,4000 this fiscal year on winter weather cleanup, nearly tripling the $377,000 it spent last winter.

According to a March 16 news release, the city has spread 4,501 tons of road salt and plowed 53,516 lane miles to date. Last winter, the city paid for 1,850 tons of salt and plowed 14,527 lane miles.

With 10,601 man hours logged this winter, snow-related overtime has reached $205,000 to date. Last winter, city staff logged 3,124 man hours. During winter months, personnel are scheduled 24 hours a day on an as-needed basis.

“Every snow season presents its own set of challenges.  This year, we have been able to work through a salt shortage and still provide successful snow removal services,” said Ron Bailey, superintendent of streets for the city, in the release.