MONROE - Every year, Green County Highway Commissioner Dallas Cecil has to ready his winter maintenance budget, and every year it is a challenge.
The most apparent and significant difficulty is trying to determine how much to budget.
Over the past couple of years there's been a lot of snow. The few years before there wasn't too much snow.
"It's a shot in the dark," Cecil said.
The average amount spent over the past five years has been about $730,000. In 2007, the county spent $1.1 million. In 2008, the county spent $1.2 million.
In 2009, Cecil budgeted $794,000 for winter maintenance, but the Highway Department only spent about $725,000.
From January to April of last year, the department spent $380,000 for road clearing and salting. In the last two months of the year, the department spent about $345,000.
Financial numbers for January 2010 weren't available.
If the highway department spends more money than budgeted to clear the roads of snow and ice, it can take money from other projects, such as seal coating and grass clipping, to make up the difference. If the department uses less than budgeted, it can put the extra money in a fund for road projects.
The key is to try to predict how much money will be needed and how much salt will be needed.
In October, the salt sheds were full, Cecil said. The county purchased 5,000 tons of salt for the winter season. So far, the county has about half of the salt in the sheds still available to use, he added.
Monroe spent $275,000 for winter maintenance last year, according to Monroe Street Supervisor Tom Boll. Boll said the city spent $149,000 for materials, such as salt and sand, and $126,000 for labor.
Like Cecil, Boll said it's difficult to determine how much to budget for winter maintenance.
"Before we got the huge storms in 2008, we used to look back three to five years to determine our average," he said. "But after we got 100 inches of snow (in 2008) we had to increase our estimates."
The most apparent and significant difficulty is trying to determine how much to budget.
Over the past couple of years there's been a lot of snow. The few years before there wasn't too much snow.
"It's a shot in the dark," Cecil said.
The average amount spent over the past five years has been about $730,000. In 2007, the county spent $1.1 million. In 2008, the county spent $1.2 million.
In 2009, Cecil budgeted $794,000 for winter maintenance, but the Highway Department only spent about $725,000.
From January to April of last year, the department spent $380,000 for road clearing and salting. In the last two months of the year, the department spent about $345,000.
Financial numbers for January 2010 weren't available.
If the highway department spends more money than budgeted to clear the roads of snow and ice, it can take money from other projects, such as seal coating and grass clipping, to make up the difference. If the department uses less than budgeted, it can put the extra money in a fund for road projects.
The key is to try to predict how much money will be needed and how much salt will be needed.
In October, the salt sheds were full, Cecil said. The county purchased 5,000 tons of salt for the winter season. So far, the county has about half of the salt in the sheds still available to use, he added.
Monroe spent $275,000 for winter maintenance last year, according to Monroe Street Supervisor Tom Boll. Boll said the city spent $149,000 for materials, such as salt and sand, and $126,000 for labor.
Like Cecil, Boll said it's difficult to determine how much to budget for winter maintenance.
"Before we got the huge storms in 2008, we used to look back three to five years to determine our average," he said. "But after we got 100 inches of snow (in 2008) we had to increase our estimates."