Kent ends salt giveaway when some take too much

KENT, Ohio - A northeast Ohio community has given up on giving away rock salt to residents because private contractors were hogging the deicer.

Kent City Manager Dave Ruller says officials put out a barrel of salt with the idea that citizens would come and fill up a bucket to keep their front walks clear during the winter. But instead, contractors came and loaded the salt onto trucks.

Kent urged the businesspeople to leave the salt alone and installed a camera to monitor the barrel. But Ruller said on his blog this week that keeping the bin full had become a full-time job.

He says the free salt might be offered again if the city can find a better way to distribute it.