Area towns will pay 21% more for bulk rock salt this season, just one year after a bitter winter depleted reserves.
Local town officials said they are adjusting operational budgets and revisiting salting practices to absorb the price hike as they begin to prepare this month for their first plow-and-salt runs. Last year, the first measurable snow in Rochester hit streets Nov. 10.
"It's not something we're happy about," Penfield Town Supervisor Kevin Berry said. "To be honest with you, I kind of expected there to be an increase. I just didn't think that it was going to be this much. Obviously rock salt is just something, it's a very basic service that we need to provide to the public. So we'll just have to pay what we need to pay to get the road
salted."
Most area towns get their supply from American Rock Salt, a mine near Mount Morris in Livingston County. This year, the price per ton rose from $65.23 to $79.23.
That's up significantly from costs a decade ago, when the price of rock salt rose to about $58 a ton after another substantial increase in 2014. The price has remained relatively steady since.
American Rock Salt did not immediately respond to questions about the price increase.
Price of rock salt increasing. What does that mean for your town?
Penfield goes through an average of 9,000 to 12,000 tons of rock salt each snow season, Berry said.
Last winter, the town tore through it's $400,000 budget for rock salt and had to rely on surplus funds from other departments to make up the gap. Berry said the highway department also tried to use less salt overall, incorporating more sand and concentrating on major intersections over side roads.
At the new rate, 9,000 tons of rock salt will cost the town $713,000 this season. Berry said Penfield will budget $800,000 for rock salt in 2027.
"We did have some light winters for awhile, but that's something we can't count on anymore," he said.
Henrietta town officials will also increase its rock salt budget from $465,610 in 2026 to $569,610 in 2027. The town uses about 7,000 tons of rock salt each year.
"We've been working on measures to use less salt, both from an environmental standpoint and now, also from a financial standpoint," Henrietta Town Supervisor Steve Schultz said.
"Obviously we are concerned when any price increases by double digits, but especially when it increases by over 21%. As the services we use for salt are mission critical, it won't affect those services as much as it will affect our budget, and possibly require tax levy increasses now and/or in the future."
― Kayla Canne covers community safety for the Democrat and Chronicle with a focus on immigration, police accountability, government surveillance and how people are impacted by violence. Follow her on Instagram @bykaylacanne. Get in touch at kcanne@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Rock salt prices rise, putting pressure on Monroe County town budgets
