Ask anyone in Northern Michigan and they'll tell you how dicey a drive it can be during the winter months; a drive that can be made so much worse when snow plows are scarce. With the snowfall nearing records this year a viewer emailed us, asking about the road crews budgets, and how much it costs for overtime and holiday pay? We have the answers in this Fact Finder Report. 

Mary Gillis at the Grand Traverse County Road Commission tells us the average snow plow driver makes $17 an hour. Any time a driver logs more than eight hours a day or more than 40 hours a week they get paid time and a half. And holiday pay is double time. Gillis says they try to have at least one employee working weekends as their regular shift, but says the way this winter is going, they've had to call in extra crews often. 

The road commission does not specifically budget for overtime, because they say winter maintenance on a whole is based on a five year average. So right now, the commission is trying to stay within the same budget it did five years ago. Mary Gillis says they've had near constant plowing since November which is severely impacting the budget. In fact, the commission is nearing this month what was spent through February of last year. If the snowfall does not slow down, Gillis says cuts may have to be made to the summer maintenance program, which could mean drivers may have to dodge more potholes once all of the snow melts. Incidentally, with the recent thaw you may have noticed some potholes already dotting your drive. Mary Gillis says she hopes the snow slows and it stays cold, because its all of the thawing and refreezing that can really damage the pavement. 

If you questions about this or any story, email me at dfairbanks@tv7-4.com