SCHERERVILLE | Town crews are going to manage their road salt output extra carefully this winter, in response to increased prices.

The cost of salt has tripled since last year, reaching nearly $102 per ton for the 14 Northwest Indiana entities that participate in a cooperative bulk salt purchasing program.

"This is a price increase we were not expecting," Schererville Public Works Director Jeff Huet said. "Nobody saw it coming."

To keep costs down, crews will spread salt on main roads, intersections, hills and curves. They can then go back and do trouble-shooting in subdivisions, as needed, Huet said.

It's the only option to keeping the salt affordable, he said.

The Schererville Town Council last week approved a resolution to participate in the purchasing program. Buying at a bulk rate usually ensures a better price, Huet said.

Councilman Jerry Tippy asked whether the town could buy salt elsewhere if it finds a lower price after the initial purchase.

Huet said that it's possible. The town is not required to buy a minimum amount of salt, but its allotment is a maximum 3,500 tons.

The cost increase has a significant impact in terms of real dollars, Town Council President Hal Slager said.

Schererville typically budgets $125,000 to $150,000 a year for salt, which is ordered as needed. That number could be well over $300,000 if this winter's storms are as bad as last year's, Huet said.

The following entities participate in the joint purchasing agreement and are affected by the cost increase: Cedar Lake, Crown Point, Dyer, Griffith, Hammond, Highland, Hobart, Lake Station, Lake Central School Corp., Lowell, Munster, Schererville, St. John, Lake County Highway Department.

Valparaiso, which is not part of the purchasing cooperative, also faces salt troubles. No bids were offered for the city's order of 5,000 tons of road salt when the bids were opened at last week's Board of Public Works and Safety meeting.