Cuts to the city of Peoria's salt budget make it difficult sometimes to deal with snow and ice removal. That's according to Sie Maroon, the city's superintendent of operations.
"We're budgeted $150,000 this year for salt. We were budgeted $175,000 in 2019. We spent all that money. There was a time here, just a few years ago, we were budgeted $250,000,” said Maroon.
Maroon said the city started this snow season with some reserved salt. He adds the current salt supply must last through this winter season and cover snowfall during the final months of 2020.
Maroon reminds drivers to patient when plows are out.
"If we could only ask one thing is that when you see a plow truck, give us the space, slow down. It's a matter of seconds and we'll be out of your way and that'll help you get where you're going," Maroon said.
Maroon said arterial streets are plowed once there's two inches of snow on the ground. The city then uses what it calls the "A-B-C" system to determine which residential streets are plowed first. Maroon said the plan rotates through the city’s 21 snow routes for each storm to be fair to all neighborhoods.
WCBU’s Kristin McHugh sat down with Sie Maroon as the city was preparing for a storm. He explained each storm brings has unique challenges.
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