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Communities Paying Wildly Different Prices For Road Salt

(CBS) -- It's that time of year to talk road salt and those prices are not just high they vary wildly.

CBS 2's Brad Edwards learned in this Original Report what your hometown pays may be a lot more than the one next door.

In Morton Grove, under a state bid contract, their vendor is Morton Salt. They'll pay $109.94 a ton, more than double last year's per ton price.

Next door Skokie will only pay $74.94 per ton under the same contract and, for example, Cook County's Streamwood will pay $137.69 a ton under the same contract.

"It's very frustrating and I know we need to salt, we have to pay the price, I just wish we could get an explanation," said Andy Demonte the director of public works for the village of Morton Grove.

Virtually all are in a salt pinch to help minimize the price jump.

"Our unit pricing has been very favorable," said DuPage County Chairman Dan Cronin. "We extended our contract to all DuPage County municipalities."

If they opted in, they'll pay $70.44 a ton. That is still a 40 percent increase, but would be a steal of a deal for Morton Grove, where their salt budget will be nearly $400,000 more this year.

"We'll definitely have to cut something to make up $400,000 might be streets resurfaced, might be in equipment," said Demonte.

As for that great disparity in prices, Morton Salt, one of the big suppliers, said it may simply be the time each community bid on its contract there's an ever growing pinch on salt. Morton's now reaching out internationally to fill contracts.

What's your community paying? Click here to see a complete list.

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