APPLETON, WI -- Snow removal crews are out in full force throughout the region, tonight.
Tonight's anticipated snowfall is the first big dump of snow we've seen in a month, which has been helping cities and counties save money, while getting other work done.
At the Outagamie County Highway Department headquarters, in Little Chute, Randy Roloff says a team of 58 employees is ready to tackle whatever tonight's weather brings.
"Those guys will plow 24 hours a day," says Roloff, pointing to a section of the plow fleet.
But Roloff admits crews in Outagamie County have been staying busy with work that the winter season usually halts.
"We're still cutting brush, we're doing pothole patching, we've got crack filling," says Roloff, "we've got our things that we do this time of year."
"I think two of the last three winters have been really hard for all counties," says County Executive Thomas Nelson, "not just on the roads, on travelers of course, but also on budgets. It's been pretty difficult."
Nelson says the lack of snow has already helped save hundreds of thousands of dollars in the county's annual $1.2 million snow removal budget.
"And we really haven't added much to our budget.. to try and alleviate that," says Nelson, "so the savings that we'll have from 2015--a lot of those dollars will go right back into our road system."
Private snowplow removal companies have had to adapt this winter, as well.
Businesses NBC26 spoke with today say they've relied on landscaping, and yard work, to fill the lull brought by a lack of snow.
