Each year we all experience a winter season in Michigan and in that season we have a phenomena we call snow.  While it can be beautiful and it can be fun, there is always a cost. The Department of Public Works dedicates a portion of the budget each year to the removal of that snow to make the streets safe to travel on.  What most people do not realize is, the more funds we use on snow removal during the winter season, the less we have for maintenance and reconstruction of our city streets.  The cost of a snow event include: labor, material (salt + calcium chloride), equipment use, fuel and equipment repair.  This winter season we have had a total of 27 snow events at an average cost of $9,000.00 each event, for a total of approximately $243,000.00 for the season.  While cost is always a consideration the safety of all those who live and work in the City of Auburn Hills is very important to us, so our top priority is to make our city streets safe during the winter season. Technically, the official start of spring is Saturday, March 20^th, but don’t worry, this is Michigan so we won’t be putting our plow trucks away quite yet.