The city of Madison has only seen about 23 inches of snow this winter.

The clear upside of this below-average snowfall is benefit it provides the Madison Streets Division budget. City officials said they've saved thousands of dollars.

"This has been a really good year for the budget on snow removal," said George Dreckmann, of the Madison Streets Division. "We budget on a calendar-year basis. So, at the end of 2011, we turned back pretty close to $8,000 in snow and ice control money that we did not use."

Dreckmann said the city only had to salt streets about 18 times this year, which is about half the number of times it had to in 2010.

Along with less work, comes less overtime, Dreckmann said, which means the budget for 2012 is on track.

But the department will have to wait until the snowfall in November and December 2012 to see if it will profit again.

Madison Mayor Paul Soglin and Eugene, Ore., Mayor Kitty Piercy have made a friendly wager on the Rose Bowl that will make either community a winner pending the outcome of the Wisconsin Badgers and Oregon Ducks match up.

"We wanted to develop a wager that could benefit our entire community and particularly those most in need," Soglin said in a news release.

Each mayor has committed to privately raising $500 if their team loses. The money will then be used for tools for Habitat for Humanity organizations in either Madison or Eugene.

"Each of us will raise the money privately and no city funds are involved," Soglin said. "This is a great program and we both want to support it."

Both mayors said they are aware of the growing need for shelters and services for the homeless. They each credit Habitat for Humanity for the work it is doing. But each also is rooting on their favorite teams in the Rose Bowl.

The Dane County Food Council aims to create an economically, socially, and environmentally sustainable local food system. At their celebration of National Food Day on Oct. 24, the council released an action plan to do just that.

Chair of the council, County Supervisor Melissa Sargent, welcomed the National Food Day crowd to Goodman Community Center. The audience included representatives from Sustainable Times, Community Action Coalition, Family Farm Defenders and Farm Fresh for All.

"We have a lot to celebrate," Sargent said. "Our farmers markets, community supported agriculture (CSA), our community gardens, and locally sourced foods in our grocery stores."