Warm winter saving us money

If Lawrence residents are looking for another reason to rejoice about the unseasonably warm weather and lack of snow, add taxpayer savings to the list.

At Kansas University, savings have been more than $130,000 on winter-related costs — not including heating — compared with 2011, said Jill Jess, KU spokeswoman.

Last year, KU spent $160,000 on snow and ice removal and supplies through Jan. 31, and nearly $200,000 in 2010. This year, it’s less than $30,000.

Lawrence Public Schools has also seen financial benefits because of the weather, said spokeswoman Julie Boyle. The district hasn’t yet had to touch the $23,600 set aside every year for cold-weather supplies and services.

Craig Weinaug, Douglas County administrator, said the county doesn’t yet have specific numbers for how much has been saved, but they expect heating bills to be much lower when it’s all tallied. Potentially a more significant savings, Weinaug said, is on road infrastructure, which has had to deal with less freezing and thawing, which contributes to potholes and other road damage.

The city of Lawrence reports a different type of benefit.

The lack of snow has meant that city crews can spend time on other maintenance projects, said Megan Gilliland, city spokeswoman.

The city has also been able to begin their 2012 in-house street maintenance program ahead of time, she said.

“This is a benefit to our community because we are actually able to make an investment in our street system during the winter months rather than applying a material that gets washed off or melts when the weather warms up,” Gilliland said.

But public officials are cautious about the savings so far.

For instance, when Boyle asked around to various departments about the savings, she said the response she got was, “The season’s not over yet.”