Municipalities often budget low for snow and ice cleanup because, unlike with most other accounts, they can spend in the red and make up the difference later in the year.
But even in Franklin, where the Town Council had hiked its snow budget from $551,000 to $694,000, Public Works Director Brutus Cantoreggi said Thursday he was near the limit.
"I've spent about $550,000 so far," he said. "But one of my salt sheds is empty, and it costs $150,000 to fill, so I'm gone."
Plummeting fuel prices have been a boon, some public works directors said, but road salt is still proving to be a budget-buster. In Franklin, the price jumped from $54 a ton to $75 this season. That means it costs about $30,000 each time Cantoreggi sends a fleet of trucks to put down a layer of sand and salt across town.
"Labor costs are about the same. It's just the salt," he said. "It's been a very busy winter."
Read the full article in the Milford Daily News here
No comments:
Post a Comment