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Village grapples with salt supply |
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Wednesday, 12 November 2008 |
By ANGELA WEAVER
Staff Writer
NEW BREMEN — Despite a salt shortage, New Bremen Village Councilors accepted a bid from Morton Salt for its water treatment plant salt at Tuesday night’s meeting.
The village received two bids, one from Cargill Salt for $102.26 per ton, and one from Morton for $100.25 per ton, Village Administrator Wayne York said.
“A year ago, the salt went for about $81 a ton,” York said, adding that the village did not receive any street salt bids this year. “That’s a 25 percent increase.”
As for the village’s street salt situation, York said they will use sand if they have to, primarily for ice.
“If the forecast shows it warming up, we’ll try to hold off on salting,” he said. “At the tail end, we can get grit and apply it on ice. It will be done on a case-by-case basis.”
York said two winters ago the village had 128 tons of salt in its bin and 207 tons in it last year and they now have 96 tons available to them.
The village has opened bids for road salt twice, the last being Nov. 7, and have yet to receive bids for it.
“We’ve got to conserve salt,” York said, adding that the salt situation should be better by next spring.
The village will continue to salt the entrance to New Bremen High School, in front of the elementary building on South Walnut and Front streets, as well as by the ABC Center and Auglaize Industries.
“We’ll also salt the major intersections,” Police Chief Doug Harrod said. Intersections included are intersections with a state route, Main Street at First, Second and Pearl Streets, and Klee Avenue at Jefferson Streets.
As for snow, York said the police department can call plowing out as they see fit.
Councilors also held the second reading of the water/sewer rate increase that could affect high-volume consumers. York, who estimated the increase to be 6 percent or higher, attributed the cost increase to the price of salt used at the treatment plant.
York said the salt shortage has created a $14,000 a year amount in additional expenses, as a reason for the increase, not including projects already budgeted for the treatment plant.
Councilors also:
• Announced they received the AMP-Ohio Environmental Stewardship Award for the recycling facility and thanked the Sons of American Legion for helping during Trick-or-Treat and for helping cut the trees along state route 66 south.
• Repealed the Community Reinvestment Act with New Bremen Residential ltd. and the agreement with the Minster Local Schools in regards to the Elmwood of New Bremen Assisted Living project. Councilors adopted two new emergency ordinances with one revising the Community Reinvestment Agreement with New Bremen Residential and Elmwood of New Bremen and one entering an agreement with Minster Local Schools.
The new legislation was written because of a change in the document language, with New Bremen Residential owning the property and Elmwood Assisted Living who would operate the facility, Village Solicitor Steve Smith said.
Smith said the income tax agreement involves the government income tax for the Elmwood Assisted Living project.
“We’re not sharing the income tax because there is a school district donation agreement,” Smith said. “It takes the place of a portion abated tax and if they don’t meet certain requirements, the abatements will be canceled.”
• Held the second reading of the ordinance involving the village’s identity theft prevention policy to add Harrod as the designated person to go to in the event of an identity theft case.
• Discussed the language on the shelter house agreement’s rules and regulations, including adding a person to contact to the wording.
• Mayor Jeff Pape also approved, in an emergency, Timothy Rammel as a part-time police officer for the village to fill the part-time position left by Patrolman Dustin Weikert, who was promoted.
“I think he’ll do us a very good job,” Harrod said.
Councilors will hold a special meeting at 6 p.m. Tuesday to discuss the village’s future capital projects and the annual cost of living adjustment. Village Council meets at the New Bremen Municipal Center.
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Last Updated ( Monday, 17 November 2008 )
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