City of Middletown Calls out Plows for a Dusting?

This is the National Weather Service forecast for Middletown for Feb, 11, 2016:

Detailed Forecast

Overnight

A chance of snow showers. Cloudy, with a low around 23. West wind around 6 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%.

Thursday

Snow showers likely, mainly before 5pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 28. Wind chill values between 15 and 20. West wind 8 to 14 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible.

Why, when there is barely enough snow on the ground to even measure, are city trucks plowing and sanding at 5 AM?  This is ridiculous!  I followed a plow, plate # 66 MN for about 20 minutes this morning and watched as the driver plowed and sanded Hillside Ct., Russell Ct. and Maynard St..

Before picking up the plow truck, (after hearing it plow E. Main and Jenson Pl.), I drove around a bit, traveling down some as yet unplowed streets, including Sand Hill Rd., and try as I might, (and I did try), it was all I could do to deliberately make the van slide or skid; even slightly!

This is an inexcusable waste of taxpayer's money.  I realize it has been a "slow news" year for city plow drivers and they are suffering a sever loss of overtime pay, but too bad!  The tax payers are NOT obligated to provide O.T. for city employees!  How can this be anything more than throwing a gratuitous bone to city employees, at YOUR expense?  Unless, it is an attempt to use up the snow removal budget, for fear of having it cut, next year, something the federal government is infamous for.

I remember clearly, in the 1960s, getting on the school bus with 5 or 6 inches of snow already on the ground, during a heavy snow storm, with more snow coming, and going to school for the entire day.  Have we turned ourselves into a bunch of sissies, since then; such that we are frightened by a little bit is snow?

This is an irresponsible use of our tax dollars at best; if not criminal.  This is New England, folks; it snows here.  Get used to it.