The city must determine how much salt it has to buy for the next wintry season. Franklin’s Common Council will discuss the matter at its Tuesday meeting.

Quiz time: How many pounds of salt will the council consider purchasing?

A) Zero. The city will use only beet juice instead.

B) 750,000 pounds

C) 3.58 million pounds

D) They will do whatever the city’s health director tells them to do

E) 5.76 million pounds

F) 7 million pounds

G) It doesn’t matter because Alderwoman Kristen Wilhelm will object to the use of salt

H) 8.2 million pounds

I) Franklin will vote to send the issue to city staff for further review

J) A special committee will be formed to come back to the council with a recommendation next month

K) None of the above

How about we give you :30 to think it over.

Please click.

Some of you can’t be faulted if you chose certain answers that aren’t true, like D, G, J.

But the answer is E) 5.76 pounds, or 2,880 tons.

That’s right. Tennessee Ernie Ford X 180.

According to the city’s website, in 2020, the price of salt was $73.32/ton. Franklin staff is expecting the 2021 prices to be approximately $75.52/ton. Franklin has received a request to participate in the State Contract for the upcoming year. The city says that in the past it has seen benefits of planning to have available twice the forecasted amount of salt for each season. History indicates that the city has needed an average of 2,100 tons for a “normal season.” Considering the amount and type of streets being added to the system with the increased use of brine solution, the average need is now considered 2,400 tons.

There’s more, lots of bureaucratic mumbo jumbo, but suffice to say the council vote to direct staff to participate in the state contract to purchase 2,400 tons of salt with a purchase of an additional 480 tons in reserve.

Sounds like we’ll have plenty.