Avon Lake plans an emergency road salt purchase after delayed Cargill deliveries, citing widespread shortages across Northeast Ohio during a snowy winter.
Updated: Jan. 29, 2026, 3:24 p.m.Crews work inside the Cargill Salt Mine, beneath Lake Erie in Cleveland, OH, Tuesday, November 28, 2017. ORG XMIT: CLE1711291508106887 The Plain DealerAVON LAKE, Ohio -- Facing delayed deliveries from its contracted road salt supplier amid a regionwide shortage, Avon Lake is moving to purchase salt from an alternative vendor under an emergency procurement.
Cargill, the state’s contracted salt supplier, has been unable to deliver scheduled shipmentsFinance Director Beth Krosse told council the city has a contract with Cargill at roughly $54 per ton, but the company is currently short on supply. Public Works Director Jon Liskovec located an alternative source through National Salt, with plans to purchase 500 tons at $217 per ton, including delivery, for a total cost of about $108,000. The purchase would temporarily replace two salt orders that Cargill has already defaulted on, officials said. “This is an emergency,” Krosse said. “We will follow up with legislation on this, but we do have within our purchasing procedures, guidelines when there’s an extreme emergency that this type of thing can be done as long as we discuss it with council.” Council members later voted to schedule a special meeting Feb. 2 to formally confirm the emergency purchase. Law Director Gary Ebert said Avon Lake was expecting deliveries from Cargill on Jan. 22, 23 and 27, but was notified late last week that the supplier did not have the salt available. “They don’t have it,” Ebert said. “They’re overwhelmed. Every city’s going through the same situation.” Under the contract, the city is permitted to seek salt elsewhere if deliveries are delinquent, then submit documentation to Cargill for reimbursement of the cost difference. Ebert said Cargill has been formally notified of the city’s intent to pursue that provision. The shortage is largely due to sustained snowfall beginning in late November, which increased demand earlier than anticipated. Salt has been moving out of mines almost as quickly as it can be brought above ground, Liskovec said. Despite the shortage, Avon Lake still has about 400 tons of salt in storage and is using it sparingly, focusing on intersections and priority areas. Crews have been rotating since early Sunday morning and will continue monitoring conditions as light snow is forecast daily over the next week.Cleveland previously reported delayed Cargill deliveries that led the city to limit salting on side streets, prioritizing main roads, hills and hospital areas. Cargill has said it remains on track to fulfill contracts by the end of the season, despite operating at capacity. Liskovec also told council the city expects to bring a new brine-making system online in early February, which could eventually reduce rock salt usage by up to 25%. Hannah Drown has been with cleveland.com since 2014 and currently works in education reporting covering a variety of education topics impacting the region. Previously, she worked as the Facebook Live news...
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