Towns seek 30 percent increase for plowing county roads

Photo by Tom Rivers: Tracy Chalker, Clarendon highway supervisor, said the town’s costs are up significantly for plowing and salting roads.

CLARENDON – The 10 towns in Orleans County are seeking a 30 percent increase for plowing and salting county roads.

Orleans County currently pays the towns $7,218 per mile in an agreement that ends Dec. 31. That price however isn’t nearly enough to cover the towns’ expense for plowing and salting, said Tracy Chalker, the Clarendon highway superintendent. He also is president of the Orleans County Town  Highway Superintendents Association.

Chalker said the costs of fuel, salt, labor and plow trucks have all increased dramatically since the last agreement was approved five years ago.

The towns aren’t seeking to make money by plowing the roads for the county, but they do want to cover their costs, Chalker told the Clarendon Town Board on Tuesday.

“We’re not looking to make a profit but the Town of Clarendon and the other towns shouldn’t have to eat the costs for the county,” Chalker said.

Clarendon plows 14.94 miles of county roads, for 29.88 lane miles. Those roads include Upper Holley Road, South Holley Road, Fancher Road, Hindsburg Road and section of New Guinea Road.

The highway department did 150 plow runs last winter, using 6,723 pounds of salt every time on the county roads, Chalker said.

He tallied the costs at $123,798 for the 14.94 miles for a per mile cost of $8,286. Chalker said those calculations are light on the total expense because employee benefits aren’t included.

The towns are seeking a 30 percent increase or $2,165 more per mile in 2027, for $9,383. They then want a 5 percent increase each following year in the five-year agreement.

The $7,218 rate per mile adds up to $107,836 for Clarendon, leaving a significant deficit, Chalker said.

Jack Welch, the county chief administrative officer, has shared a letter with the 10 towns, listing what other nearby counties pay towns for plowing and salting. Welch said Orleans County is paying slightly more than other counties. Welch reported the following: Orleans at $7,218; Monroe at $7,010; Genesee at $6,954; Wyoming at $7,000; and Ontario at $6,954.

Clarendon officials noted that most other nearby counties share far more in sales tax than Orleans County does with towns and villages. Orleans hasn’t increased the share to municipalities since 2001.

The Clarendon Town Board passed a formal resolution on Tuesday seeking the 30 percent increase for 2027 to plow and salt county roads, with 5 percent increases to follow from 2028 to 2031. Clarendon and the other towns also are seeking a 30 percent increase in mowing the sides of county roads. They are currently paid $759 per mile.

“I think that’s reasonable because the county isn’t sharing the sales tax,” Town Councilman Chris Caufield said about the 30 percent increase.

The county currently doesn’t have plow trucks or the personnel to plow and salt their own roads. Chalker said the towns just want a fair deal to cover their costs.

“We want to stay on good terms with the county,” he said. “We want to work with them. We don’t want to beat them up.”