Some of the heaviest snows in history blanketed the Midwest and East Coast this winter, and Cincinnati and other cities spent record amounts of money to keep the streets cleared and the roads open.
The winter of 2013-2014 was infamous for what seemed like continuous blizzards and miserably cold weather, but the winter of 2014-2015 followed a similar pattern.
Cincinnati received more than eight inches of snow in just a few days, enduring extremely cold temperatures at the same time. The combination meant that the city and surrounding communities had to use more salt, pay workers more overtime, and clear more roads than if the storms had been of shorter duration, or there were fewer of them.
Cincinnati has the most roads to plow, and spent $1.2m on just the February storms, which is more than half its budget for the entire year. Hamilton County has spent nearly three quarters of its annual budget clearing roads after the recent storms.
Adding to the woes is the fact that salt is more expensive this year than it was last winter. Some communities were paying more than $100 per ton, up from about $50 per ton last year.
Cincinnati officials might consider working with a flyer printing company on a mailer for residents explaining the situation and urging them to drive safely.
