Partly because of rising gas prices and partly because of the lack of many bids, the Athens County Engineer's Office will pay a higher price for salt this winter than all other area counties.
This year the Athens County salt contract went to the only bidder, Morton Salt Company, for $60.85 a ton of salt, said Athens County Engineer Archie Stanley. He said, on average, the county uses about 500 tons of salt a year.
By comparison, Hocking County pays $35.49 a ton of salt, and Perry County pays $36 a ton of salt - the two lowest prices in the region. Meigs County, which pays the second highest price in the region, pays $46.48 a ton of salt.
Hocking and Perry counties use significantly more salt than Athens. Hocking County uses between 2,000 and 3,000 tons, and Perry County uses 1,000 tons. However, Meigs County uses only slightly more salt than Athens - between 600 and 1,000 tons.
Hocking and Perry counties get such low prices by participating in a Cooperative Purchasing Program run by the Ohio Department of Transportation. The program combines the salt purchases of all participating municipalities to save money by purchasing a larger quantity, said ODOT spokesman Joel Hunt. Hunt said that 161 municipalities in Ohio use this program.
Athens County Deputy Engineer of Operations Mike Canterbury said the engineer's office uses the state to get good prices on many items the county needs, but it has never used the Co-op Purchasing Program for salt. Canterbury said until this winter, the county has received a better price by contracting individually. Last year, Athens County paid $44.78 a ton of salt.
We are very thrifty with taxpayer money
making sure we get the best prices Canterbury said.
Two salt companies have contracts in Southeast Ohio. Hocking and Perry counties have contracts with Cargill Salt and Athens, Morgan, Washington, Meigs and Vinton counties have contracts with Morton Salt Company.
Lori Johnson, Public Affairs Manager for Cargill Salt, said various factors effect the price of salt a municipality will receive, including the volume of salt purchased and the proximity of the municipality to the salt mine. Cargill has mines in Cleveland and Avery Island, La. that distribute to Ohio.
Johnson said salt transport costs also have risen because of energy costs.
Barge prices have doubled and tripled and that does not even add in the cost of fuel
she said.
Joe Wojtonik, spokesman for Morton Salt Company, said Morton has a mine in Fairport that distributes to Ohio municipalities. He said that Morton provides salt for 80 percent of the counties in Ohio.
Wojtonik said Morton also has seen an increase in the price of salt this year.
We have seen a tripling of fuel surcharges from our carriers since last year
he said.
William Shaw, Hocking County Engineer, acknowledged fuel prices are high but said he is confused as to why Athens County is paying so much more than its neighbors. I realize that fuel prices are high
but I don't understand why we are paying $35
and someone else is paying $60
he said. Sometimes salt companies are as bad as the oil companies.
Although Athens County does not participate in the state program to purchase salt, it does participate in a similar program to purchase cinders, which is mixed with salt to cover icy roads, Canterbury said.
Athens County uses between 3,000 and 6,000 tons of cinder a year and pays $12.75 a ton. Canterbury said the engineer's office mixes one bucket of salt with six buckets of cinders to create the compound that goes on roads.
Comparatively, Meigs County uses between 2,400 and 4,000 tons of cinders and pays $1 a ton, and Washington County uses between 6,000 and 7,000 tons of cinders and pays between $6 and $7 a ton.
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