County still stuck with $523,000 in 2008 salt

Jefferson County still has about $500,000 worth of road salt that towns said they would buy in the 2008-09 season but never purchased.

Last year, for the first time in nearly 15 years, a bidding process separate from the state's Office of General Services bid brought higher prices for the county and 32 entities that purchased salt through the county. The price was more than twice as much under the county bid, at $129.68 per ton, as the state bid of $57.20.

So a handful of towns didn't fulfill their verbal obligation to order at least 60 percent of their salt from the county, instead purchasing it on the state bid, finding other sources or using reserves.

The county signed a contract with the vendor, American Rock Salt, Mount Morris, requiring it to buy at least 60 percent of its requested 37,000 tons of salt.

Of the required 22,245 tons under that contract, there are 4,032.73 tons that were supposed to go to towns, villages and school districts, but have not been purchased, said James L. Lawrence Jr., county highway superintendent. The total price for that salt is $522,964 under the contract.

"The negotiations continue" on what the county will do as a result, County Administrator Robert F. Hagemann III said. "We hope to wrap that up by year end."

Ellisburg, Hounsfield, Pamelia and Wilna are foremost among the towns that did not fill their commitment.

In a normal year, the lower orders from one town are made up from greater needs in others, Mr. Hagemann said. But with the higher price, everyone watched salt use more closely.

This year, each municipality and the county are ordering their salt separately through the state bid.

The county, as usual, ordered 1,200 tons, but obtained a price of $59.49 per ton.

"It was a collective decision with all the parties to say, 'Let's go with New York state this time around,' which resulted in a substantially improved cost per ton," Mr. Hagemann said. "This is back in the ballpark of where we wanted to be."