This winter you may be better prepared to guess when the snow will fly by looking at a calendar then by looking at a weather radar. It seems as if our best snowfalls have happened on the weekends. No one needs to be reminded of that fact at that Grand Traverse County Road Commission. Not only do they keep a close eye on the weather, but also on their budget. As it turns out, rolling trucks on the weekends can get costly quickly.
According to Road Commission Manager Mary Gillis, "its gets very expensive, January has been an expensive month for us since everything to be coming down on the weekends." Fuel doesn't cost more on Saturdays, nor does salt, rather the expense that really adds up, according to Gillis, is a keeping an already stretched thin driver staff out on the roads.
Gillis describes the situation "We are getting close to the point with our crew numbers. We are down so far, that we can no longer call in enough people to do all our main roads and subdivisions at the same time."
And the situation gets worse, or at least more costly, on weekends. On a typical snowy day, Gillis has around 30 drivers she can call in to plow. On a typical weekend, one driver is scheduled. That one driver is essentially working at a regular wage on Saturdays and Sundays. If the snow really flies, and other drivers are called in, those additional drivers are working at overtime pay rates. Gillis says "overtime is typically anytime after they have gotten their 8 hours in for the day or on weekends."
So plowing on the weekends at least in terms of payroll can be almost twice as expensive as during the week due to overtime pay. Gillis points out that decreased staffing levels have resulted in drivers getting to overtime pay and weekend shifts more often than in the past. And it's a situation that will not only impact the bottom line now, but could for the rest of the year. Gillis predicts “we still have two good months to go in winter, so we are going to see some of our capital outlays for new plow trucks fall to the wayside, maybe some of our summer maintenance will be cut, because it has been a tough winter."
With all of that being said, it might be an easy assumption that the Road Commission is hesitant to plow on the weekends regardless of the road conditions. Gillis strongly denies that accusation. She says that as with any snow event, safety is priority number one. Road conditions are evaluated by drivers and she says the appropriate measures are then taken. The top priority any day of the week is the main trunk lines and major roadways. Those get cleared first whenever the snow flies. After that, the staffing levels start to play a factor. During the week, secondary roads and then subdivisions become the focus. But, on the weekend with drivers on overtime, less traveled roads and subs will take a back seat. While there are no hard and fast standards, Gillis says a good rule of thumb is the six inch rule. If we get six inches of snow on a weekend, the road commission generally treats that as a significant snow event, and the trucks will roll until almost every road is addressed. But if the snow total is less than that, Gillis says the have to balance their budget with the road conditions. Often that means subs and smaller roads will get plowed once drivers are no longer earning overtime pay.
So what do you think? Would you be willing to pay more in taxes to cover more weekend overtime for drivers or hire more drivers to avoid overtime all together? Let me know. Leave a comment below.
To learn more about the road commission, snowfall totals for the season, or to report a problem with a road your drive on click here.
