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CASE CONSIDER REVISION OF SNOW AND ICE CONTROL POLICY By: Steve Jankowski, City Engineer Background: At the October 14, 1997 Road & Bridge meeting, the committee (and subsequently the Council) directed that the costs of removing snow within a four-hour period be presented. The purpose of this case is to comply with that directive. Currently, our snow removal policy goal is to complete a snow removal operation within eight hours of initiation of the plowing of a normal snowfall, which is defined as a two to four-inch snowfall. In further discussion with the Public Works Supervisor, he advises that the current seven route system is usually plowed with six hours after the operation is initiated, with another two hours subsequently devoted to clearing out intersections and sanding selected locations. Often times, sanding continues on the day following the initial operation. For the purpose of this case, a four-hour operation will be defined as the plowing of all streets within four hours of the initiation of the operation, which would typically be 2:00 a.m. if the snowstorm has ceased by that time. Personnel would continue to work an eight-hour shift which would allow more sanding and cleaning during the operation itself. To consider having the entire operation, including plowing and sanding, completed within four hours would present the personnel problem of finding Class B drivers willing to work a four-hour job. If the proposed increase in service level is ordered by Council, Staff would recommend rental of the additional units for the additional major routes and contracting for additional cul-de-sac routes, as opposed to the purchase of equipment for this purpose. The three pieces of major equipment needed for the additional major routes can be rented on a monthly basis at a rate of $4800 per month per piece of equipment. It would be necessary to rent this equipment from November 15 through March 31 at a total cost of $64,800. The increased labor to operate these routes would be $3,600 (3 persons x $15/hr. x 8 hrs./storm x 10 storms/season). There would be some savings since fewer hours would be needed on subsequent days following the storm, however, this is difficult to quantify since sand/salt is usually applied periodically due to the fact that normal traffic causes sand/salt to be continuously worn away. Putting more sand/salt on early after the storm will cause an additional benefit since temperatures usually fall the day after the storm and salt is more effective at higher temperatures. Alternatively, it could be possible to contract the additional routes necessary to local contractors who already possess the heavy equipment required for the task. In theory, it may be possible to pay only for the actual time spent at the market rate of $100/hr. For a normal snow season this would mean a cost of $12,000 (3 units x $100An'. x 4 hrs./storm x 10 storms/season). With contracted services, there will be some degree of loss of control over the operation. A successful contracting program can be developed if the arrangement is mutually beneficial to the City and the contractor. In talking with contractors, those who do choose to do snowplowing (and some contractors choose not to get into snowplowing because it is hard on the equipment), have entered into commitment with clients and have developed business relationships over a number 17