Snow removal

I have a few minutes before going to work and I thought about snow removal.
Why back when Stan Esposito was mayor, Mike Pavia was running the office of pubic works. There was a big fight between him and the highways person (who I can't remember the name) over the policy of clear plowing the roads. The actual issue was whether to use just plow and salt or to use plow, sand and salt. One would clear the roads to black pavement (and possibly black ice), the other would give more traction, but would leave the roads 'unkempt' looking. There was a cost concern - sand was cheaper, but resulted in needing to clean out storm drains after the winter more often. I bring this up, because it looks like both sides lost. I do not see sand on city streets, but neither are they plowed to perfection and heavily salted. I realize there is also a temperature consideration in all of this, but I do not know it and if the really low temperatures are to blame or if cost saving is to blame.