“We’re glad to be able to lock it in so we have an adequate supply for the winter months,” said Xenia City Manager Jim Percival.
Two factors have helped the city keep salt costs down, he added.
First, Xenia seeks salt bids as a member of the Southwest Ohio Purchasers for Government, a group of 86 government agencies. Buying in large amounts helps hold down costs, he said.
Coupled with bulk buying, Xenia also used several methods of treating streets last winter, reducing its use of salt supplies, including using sand, calcium chloride and beet juice, Percival added.
“We all work together with the hope of getting a better price,” Percival said. “It appears that the amount of salt must be better because the bids came in significantly lower.”
Last year, Vandalia officials received a low bid of $144.48 a ton, compared to Xenia’s $68.68 a ton, according to figures presented to city council members. The cities of Worthington and Whitehall, near Columbus, received bids of $149.08.
The village of Versailles received a bid of $150.16, according to the figures.
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