Almost 100 communities need new road salt supplier after vendor ends contract with council of governments

A lot of Allegheny County communities need a new road salt supplier.

The South Hills Area Council of Governments (SHACOG), which runs a purchasing alliance for road salt, learned this month its current salt vendor will not renew its contract with SHACOG for the coming winter.

According to an April 1 letter obtained by TribLive from SHACOG to communities participating in the council’s purchasing alliance, Compass Minerals America, Inc., the vendor supplying rock salt to the council of governments, will not renew its contract for 2026-2027.

Jim Hughes, vice president of Compass Minerals, did not respond to a TribLive request for comment Thursday.

The end of the contract means almost 100 Western Pennsylvania communities will be without a primary road salt supplier unless a new vendor can be found.

Patrick Connors, executive director of SHACOG, said a March 30 correspondence from Compass cited the mineral company’s concerns about the Consumer Price Index rate in the current contract agreement.

The existing agreement concludes June 30, Connors said. Outstanding orders will be fulfilled until then.

“Please be assured that the SHACOG office will continue to work closely with participating communities and Compass Minerals America, Inc. to ensure the vendor fulfills all contractual obligations for the remainder of the current agreement period,” the letter said.

While there are 23 member municipalities in SHACOG, about 99 communities are part of a road salt purchasing alliance run by it, which provides savings to participating municipalities by purchasing materials and equipment in bulk. It has become the most economical way for communities to buy road salt each year.

While nothing is set in stone, Connors said it’s “very possible” to see potential contracts cost municipalities more than in previous years because of rising operational costs.

“We’re not sure what’s in the future as far as fuel prices,” Connors said.

In the next 30 to 45 days, SHACOG will be looking internally and making sure the bid specifications match members’ needs, Connors said. Participating communities can provide input regarding operational needs, delivery expectations, storage considerations and market conditions affecting rock salt.

“We want to make sure the communities that need salt receive salt in a timely fashion,” Connors said.

In January, Compass Minerals fell behind on road salt deliveries to member communities by about a month. The delay left some communities with an alarmingly low amount of road salt as the region braced for 6 to 12 inches of snow the weekend of Jan. 23.

A new bid solicitation is expected this summer with an award being made by July to establish a successor agreement for future winter seasons.

“We had a pretty turbulent winter,” Connors said. “This is an opportunity to start fresh.”