COLTS NECK — While some residents are busy drinking apple cider and carving pumpkins, municipal officials have turned their attention to the approaching winter and its potential to unleash powerful snowstorms.
The Colts Neck Township Committee passed a resolution at its Sept. 27 meeting that confirmed a second-year option for private snow plowing services for the 2012-13 winter season. The agreement, which was originally made in the fall of 2011, is with Tri-County Turf LLC of Cranbury.
According to documents provided by the township, Colts Neck will be on the hook for an initial vehicle set-up fee of $15,000.
Should snow accumulate on municipal streets, the company is capable of dispatching a 13-unit fleet of vehicles for a total of $3,075 per hour, according to the document.
Tri-County has eight primary plowing vehicles available at $275 per hour, four four-wheel drive pickup trucks at $175 per hour, and one supervisor vehicle at $175 per hour.
The township would be responsible for covering a minimum of five hours of pay for each vehicle that is called to Colts Neck, according to the resolution.
Also at the Sept. 27 meeting, the committee introduced an ordinance to amend the 2012 salary guide for the Department of Public Works.
The original salary ordinance, which the governing body adopted in August, did not include any terms for temporary snow plow drivers.
If the amended ordinance receives final approval, those employees will be paid at a rate not to exceed $30 per hour, according to township documents.
The ordinance will be up for adoption at the Oct. 10 committee meeting.