- Details
- Category: Past Issues
Black
roads,
black ink
Snow removal budgets
are still in the black
By Linda Lemmon
Town Crier Editor
After slogging through what was hopefully the worst that Old Man Winter has to dish out, local snow removal budgets are still in the black.
The worst of the storms thus far came during "regular hours" which is an enormous help to town budgets, keeping overtime down. In addition, the heads of Putnam, Pomfret and Woodstock, all said they have found the numbers that work for snow budgets.
In Putnam, Town Administrator Douglas M. Cutler said the town uses trends, not last year's weather, to set its snow removal budget. A total of $97,500 is budgeted and that covers $52,500 in labor/overtime and $45,000 for salt. The town has a deal with Rawson Materials for the sand it uses. Putnam was hit with some "extraordinary" equipment repairs totaling $12,000 and that was handled by the snow removal budget and the Town Aid Road fund.
In Pomfret, First Selectman Jim Rivers said the town fathers live within the amounts approved by the residents.
"It's a balancing act," he said. The town budgets $80,000 which includes overtime, snow plow parts, sand and salt.
"If the winter is longer and harder than anticipated, then we still follow the budget and we'll make what we have last," he said. He said the town does not go back for more money. "We follow the budget."
If there's a 24-hour storm, he said, it doesn't matter if there are 24 inches of snow or 6 inches of snow. "We still have to keep running the trucks," he said.
He also reminded residents that they may have to "think differently" when there are large storms. "We can't have safe passage on all roads immediately and 100 percent of the time," he said. "They have to be patient and understand that it will be addressed."
Woodstock's Allan Walker, first selectman, said the town still has money left in its snow and ice removal budget. The budget, $120,000, had 28 percent left in it at the end of February, he said. Because the storms came during "regular hours," there is more than 45 percent left in the overtime section of the budget.
Walker said the town looks at "year to year and trends" in figuring out the budget. Last year, he said, the budget was upped to $120,000 and that seems to be the right number. "It had been at $80,000 and we realized that that was too little," he said. "The materials (sand and salt) are not getting any cheaper."
Although winter isn't officially over yet, "we've all weathered the winter fairy well," he added.