This winter proved to be a relatively mild one, in terms of both snowfall and temperatures.

There were plenty of cold days and a couple significant snowstorms, but Perry’s Deputy Public Works Director Josh Wuebker, says Mother Nature helped out the department this year.

“This is probably one of the easiest winters I’ve ever worked in.  I know in the past it seemed like it snowed a lot on the weekends or after hours, and the guys accumulated a lot of compensation time or overtime.  They just didn’t accrue that this year, which will help us out in the summer time with manpower.”

Wuebker says mild winters also help when it comes to the budget.

“The beginning of the year we purchased a lot of salt because the year before we used a lot.  So we’re stockpiled pretty good.  We actually just got an email yesterday asking how much salt we want, even for next year.  So we put our order in for that, which is about half of what we put in for this year, so that saves a lot.”

But in the long run, it all evens out.  Wuebker says funds that are not used for snow removal, will instead be spent on street repair in the warmer months.