Local officials preparing to keep the streets safe this winter are crossing their fingers that predictions of a milder, less-snowy winter come true, after the price for road salt paid by the state jumped to its highest level in more than a decade this year.

Most counties and municipalities buy their salt on the state's contract, which this year rose to $60.92 per ton, a 27 percent increase over last year's price and a 77 percent increase over the average price this decade, according to Department of Transportation records.

Street and highway departments in Dane County will pay $62 per ton for salt this year, a 34 percent increase over last year's price and a 61 percent increase over the average price for the last five years.

With a typical winter requiring about 9,000 tons of salt in Madison, this price jump could increase costs to the city by as much as $125,000 to $140,000 in 2010, despite increased conservation efforts, said Streets and Recycling Department superintendent Al Schumacher.

"We're hoping for El Niño," he said, referring to the Pacific Ocean weather event that this winter is expected to raise temperatures across the Midwest.

Counties across the state are seeing a similar picture, the result of the conclusion of an enviable state contract, said John Kinar, state highway maintenance engineer for the DOT, whose office oversees the salt contract bidding process.

"We got a really good deal," the last three winters, he said.

After last winter, however, the state could no longer renew its contract and solicited new bids, with higher rates resulting as the major vendors, still reeling from the heavy winter of 2007-08 and the dramatic increase in fuel prices of 2008, raised their prices, he said.

"We're still getting a really good price for the region, but we're still higher than the previous year," he said. "It has a definite impact on the overall budget."

The city of Madison has about 8,000 tons of salt on hand, with contracted access to another 4,000 tons if needed, Schumacher said.

Similarly, the Dane County Highway Department finished last winter with 6,200 tons of salt remaining, the maximum capacity of its storage sheds, said maintenance superintendent Dan Behrend. County highway crews use about 11,000 tons of salt in a typical winter, he said.

Those inventories will ensure that much of the effect of the increased price for salt will be put off until next year, Schumacher and Behrend said.

"Hopefully we'll have a light winter and there's more salt out there so the price goes down (next winter)," Behrend said .

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