Du Quoin, Perry County nailed down salt supply early after last winter's shortage

"Morton Salt--where we used to get salt from--turned us down," said Du Quoin city administrator Brad Myers. "The price (after last winter's shortage) was $125 a ton. I finally found a supplier in St. Louis and I bought 75 tons for $110 a ton."

The search for salt has been harder than in year's past.

Perry County Highway Department engineer Brian Otten feels Du Quoin's pain, but the intrepid head of Perry County's road system (100 miles of county highways and 400 miles of rural roads that were once under the old township system) landed his 100-ton supply in early fall for $128 a ton. That's been the going price.

"We re-sell five tons to the Village of Tamaroa. That's just what we have always done," he said.

Otten said many counties traditionally piggy-backed with the Illinois Highway Department on the state's bid. But, as with a lot of things in Illinois in recent years the process was more than a month behind when bids were sought in June. Suppliers tossed out many of the county bids. It was re-bid in July and, again, many counties came up empty-handed and had to go out into the marketplace themselves.

Otten hasn't proposed it yet, but believes there may be some merit in Perry County, Du Quoin, Pinckneyville, and the villages going together during the summer to get the best price on salt.

Summer may seem an odd time to be sweating the winter weather outlook, but it's serious crunch time for snow removal contractors scrambling with shortages and skyrocketing prices for the one commodity critical to their livelihoods - rock salt.

In fact, the first Salt Summit was convened in October, sponsored by the Snow and Ice Management Association, a group of about 1,600 private snow removal contractors.

"We're hearing bulk salt prices that are in some cases double what they were a year ago," SIMA CEO Martin Tirado told me Wednesday. From a price around $70 per ton a year ago, he said contractors are now getting quotes of $120 to $150 a ton from suppliers.

Major government agencies responsible for clearing highways and main arteries are the biggest bulk salt users, buying on long-term contracts and getting priority treatment when salt supplies tighten.

Otten said apart from snow removal he will spend the winter months preparing for next year's road maintenance and construction work with a promise of some very worthwhile and positive projects in the county.