Departments

Snow Removal Operations

The Public Works Department provides residents and businesses with snow removal on Township maintained streets. To accomplish this task efficiently, the department has divided the Township into ten zones.

Snowfalls of less than three inches are removed by melting with de-icing salt. It takes approximately three hours to successfully treat all Township maintained streets once with de-icing salt. Snowfalls of more than three inches have to be plowed and salted to remove the snow. This operation takes at least 10 hours to complete one pass with the snowplows. Weather conditions and traffic patterns can add a substantial amount of time needed for snow removal operations.

De-icing Salt Supplies and Operational Changes Update:

Miami Township participates in a pooling program (SWOP4G) with many neighboring jurisdictions in Southwestern Ohio to obtain the lowest price bid for de-icing salt each year. All jurisdictions in this program submit a requested amount of de-icing salt to be collectively bid on by suppliers. Miami Township requests a bid for 3,500 tons of de-icing salt.

The bid for de-icing salt this year is slightly less than last year's bid, however it is still 30% more than the price we paid in 2007-08. The sharp increase in the cost of de-icing salt last year forced most jurisdictions including Miami Township to adjust snow removal practices in order to conserve salt supplies and maintain a balanced budget. The 3,500 tons may be all the salt available to Miami Township for this winter season.

Miami Township will assess each snow event and must work in ways that conserve our salt supplies through prioritizing Township streets. What this means is the most heavily traveled streets will be treated first, followed by streets with steep inclines and select intersections. Side streets and cul-de-sacs may not receive treatment if the snow event does not warrant action. Please adjust your driving habits and time needed for travel to compensate for hazardous conditions.

Miami Township has built a reputation of providing commuters within the Township limits with safe travel when adverse weather strikes. We will continue to do so, but must reevaluate our operations in order to maintain a balanced budget as a fundamental commitment to our community.

Future plans are to construct a salt dome that would house an entire season's worth of de-icing salt and will greatly reduce our dependancy when supplies are not stable. We will have the option of adjusting our bid in years when the demand causes drastic increases in salt prices like we have this bid season. Our current salt barn has the capacity to house 1,000 tons of de-icing salt. The future construction of a salt dome will increase our stockpiling capacity to over 4,000 tons.

Snow removal tips:
To help snow removal crews complete each event in the most efficient manner, the Public Works Department asks residents to do the following:

  • Delay non-essential travel until after the roads have been cleared.
  • During snowfalls of more than 3 inches, park off streets to allow crews to plow the entire street.
  • When using a snow blower, shovel or plow to clear your driveway, do not push the snow out into the street.
  • To avoid clearing your driveway entrance repeatedly, wait until the plow truck has completed clearing the roadway curb to curb.

Plowing responsibilities:
The Public Works Department reminds residents to note that not all roadways within Miami Township are maintained by Miami Township. Certain roadways are maintained by other Government agencies or private developers.

  • The Ohio Department of Transportation (937)832-1824 maintains all State routes.
  • The Montgomery County Engineer's Office (937)837-2528 maintains County roads.
  • Condo/ apartment complexes and mobile home parks have streets maintained by the owners of the complex.
  • New streets (Not formally accepted by the Township) are maintained by the developer of the plat until street officially dedicated to Miami Township

Residents with questions, concerns regarding snow removal are encouraged to call the Public Works Department at (937)866-4661.