Millville officials defend snow response after social-media complaints; city posts explainer video
January 31, 2026 | Millville City, Cumberland County, New Jersey
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Millville City officials on Jan. 30 defended the municipal response to a recent snow and ice storm, saying crews from multiple departments and private vendors worked long shifts to clear roads and protect public safety.
“It's not that we ran out of salt,” Mayor Dixon said, noting the city began the event with about 450 tons of salt and “we used…250 tons, which is 500,000 pounds” during the storm. Dixon said the municipal Office of Emergency Management and streets crews posted a roughly 15‑minute video by Superintendent Wayne Gressman explaining the city’s preplanning and operations and recommended residents watch it for technical details.
Commissioner Casa Boone, whose department led the field response, said crews and vendors worked “12 to 16 to 18 hours at a time” and praised staff for addressing an “unprecedented” storm that transitioned from powdery snow to an ice crust. “They did a phenomenal job,” she said.
Several commissioners and staff described operational limits that affected clearing: standard city plows have rubber edges and cannot cut into hard ice the way specialized state equipment can, and at very low temperatures “salt…will do nothing,” the mayor said. Officials said the city deployed more than 30 plows and asked residents to call city departments rather than relying on social‑media reports that, officials said, sometimes misstate conditions.
Commissioners said the administration will use the incident as a learning opportunity. Vice Mayor Cott described pre‑storm coordination with OEM as an improvement and said the city is documenting lessons and planning changes to operational plans and communications. The mayor said the city will post the explainer video on official channels and encouraged residents with urgent needs to call 911.
The discussion came during a work session; no formal policy changes were adopted at the meeting, and commissioners said after‑action reviews and documented procedures will inform future storms.
“It's not that we ran out of salt,” Mayor Dixon said, noting the city began the event with about 450 tons of salt and “we used…250 tons, which is 500,000 pounds” during the storm. Dixon said the municipal Office of Emergency Management and streets crews posted a roughly 15‑minute video by Superintendent Wayne Gressman explaining the city’s preplanning and operations and recommended residents watch it for technical details.
Commissioner Casa Boone, whose department led the field response, said crews and vendors worked “12 to 16 to 18 hours at a time” and praised staff for addressing an “unprecedented” storm that transitioned from powdery snow to an ice crust. “They did a phenomenal job,” she said.
Several commissioners and staff described operational limits that affected clearing: standard city plows have rubber edges and cannot cut into hard ice the way specialized state equipment can, and at very low temperatures “salt…will do nothing,” the mayor said. Officials said the city deployed more than 30 plows and asked residents to call city departments rather than relying on social‑media reports that, officials said, sometimes misstate conditions.
Commissioners said the administration will use the incident as a learning opportunity. Vice Mayor Cott described pre‑storm coordination with OEM as an improvement and said the city is documenting lessons and planning changes to operational plans and communications. The mayor said the city will post the explainer video on official channels and encouraged residents with urgent needs to call 911.
The discussion came during a work session; no formal policy changes were adopted at the meeting, and commissioners said after‑action reviews and documented procedures will inform future storms.
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