That is the same price the city contracted with Cargill for highway rock salt last year, city officials said.
Cargill was one of four companies that submitted bids to supply the substance ranging in price from $59.25 per ton to $69.01 per ton, said Dan Arthur, the city’s director of public works.
The city plans to purchase 1,900 tons through a cooperative program from Cargill, said City Manager William Brock.
Arthur said the city is not going to purchase the salt all at once.
“With the co-op program, that gives us the opportunity to purchase up to that amount. On average from what I’ve seen so far, the city uses roughly that amount per year, about 1,900 to 2,000 tons per year,” he said.
Arthur said the city recently used money left over from last years contract with Cargill to purchase 358 tons of rock salt to fill its two salt barns, which can store between 800 to 1,000 tons of rock salt.
“We’re full right now in anticipation of the winter,” he said.
Two years ago, the city and other municipalities across the country had to pay higher costs to purchase rock salt.
Entities experienced increases anywhere from 30 percent up to 250 percent, due to the lack of the availability.
Other contributing factors leading to the increase in the price of rock salt were fuel cost increases, the cost of fuel to mine the salt and flooding causing transportation issues.
Brock said the price of rock salt has stabilized the last few years.
Arthur said the city should have enough rock salt to make it through this winter to treat its roads, “Unless we have just a crazy winter,” he said.
Contact this reporter at (513) 483-5219 or dewilson@coxohio.com.
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