Record December snowfall totals have left municipalities, including West Salem, and their residents sometimes struggling to find places to put it all.

The La Crosse area received about 32 inches of snow this month as of Monday, making this the snowiest December ever. And there was a chance of a couple more inches of snow Tuesday (after the Coulee News deadline).

Other historically snowy Decembers include 1990, which saw 30.4 inches, and 1968, which saw 26.6 inches.

The National Weather Service blames cold air locked in place north of a favorable storm track for such high seasonal snowfalls. That means a very active weather pattern has brought strong storms at a rate of every other day and accumulating snow to the north of most low pressure systems.

Last week found West Salem Public Works Director Scott Halbrucker fixing a broken plow. After he and his crew spent yet another weekend hard at work, having to deal with broken snow-clearing equipment is par for the course.

With another round of snow predicted to begin falling this week, the prospect of more time in the plow truck, more overtime and time away from family or other pursuits wasn’t necessarily a welcome one.

“Merry Christmas,” Halbrucker said, no doubt sarcastically. “We’ve been getting some overtime, there’s just no way around it.”

He said his crew is handling it as well as can be expected. And he wanted to emphasize that no one was whining about it.

“They’re doing all right,” Halbrucker said. “But they’re ready for the snow to stop and to have a weekend off.”

Recent snowstorms have at times stretched the department nearly to its limit. During any substantial snow event there are five or six employees working. That might not seem like many, unless one considers it’s only an eight-man department, with one employee out of commission.

Exacerbating the difficulties brought by Mother Nature are residents who move snow back onto the road. The practice makes work harder for plow truck drivers who often have to re-do streets.

“I wish the people (on Dec. 21) would have stopped blowing the snow back on the road,” Halbrucker said. “We get the whole road plowed and they blow it right back on the street. If people didn’t do that, the roads would be in a lot better condition.”

When employees are paid by the hour, time equals money. Because Halbrucker has to put two trucks back on the road after each storm to clear off what residents blow back onto the street, those in violation of the village ordinance are costing the village money.

There is, however, one exception. Businesses on and around Leonard Street, because there is nowhere else to put the snow, are exempt.

According to West Salem Police Chief Charles Ashbeck, the forfeiture for violating the ordinance is $83.80. No citations have been issued so far this year.

“We’re not out looking for violations, but if we are notified we will issue a citation or a warning,” Ashbeck said. “It’s more of a safety concern for us. Motorists could hit that extra snow and lose control of their vehicle.”