CITY COUNCIL AGENDA ITEM
ACTION REQUESTED:
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Approve the award of Cooperative Procurement 26-243, Roadway Salt, to Morton Salt and Compass Minerals America, Inc. for an amount not to exceed $1,211,916
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DEPARTMENT: Department of Public Works
SUBMITTED BY: Dan Randolph, P.E., Director
BOARD/COMMISSION REVIEW:
N/A
BACKGROUND:
The Department of Public Works (DPW) requires roadway salt to support the City’s winter snow and ice control operations. Over the years, DPW staff have taken measures to limit the use of salt due to its high cost and environmental impacts. Specifically, DPW has modified procedures for salting cul-de-sacs, reduced application rates when conditions warrant, and postponed the application of salt on residential streets, including cul-de-sacs, until after plowing is complete in certain circumstances. Over the past ten years, the City has used an average of 11,400 tons of salt per year. During the mild 2025-2026 winter season, the City used approximately 7,400 tons of salt.
The City has two salt dome locations, one at the Public Works Service Center and one near Plainfield/Naperville Road. The City’s standard protocol is to have both salt domes substantially full at the beginning of the winter season and to prepare for an average-to-moderately heavy winter season. This initial salt supply not only provides the City with enough salt for application during a typical winter season (based on a five-year average) but also eliminates the need to rely on delivery during the winter, which can often be delayed and more expensive.
The City has several options for procuring roadway salt, including conducting its own bid for summer delivery and participating in cooperative purchasing programs offered by the State of Illinois and DuPage County. For the 2026-2027 winter season, the City participated in the State of Illinois cooperative purchasing program because it has historically provided more favorable pricing.
Under the standard State pro...
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