Finance Board Shores Up Snow Removal Accounts

By Jan Howard

The Board of Finance on January 22 unanimously approved the transfer of $100,000 from the town’s contingency account to augment three winter maintenance accounts for the Highway Department of overtime, sand, and salt.

The appropriation includes $50,000 for overtime and $25,000 each for sand and salt.

The Board of Selectmen approved the appropriation on January 20. It now goes to the Legislative Council for action.

Department of Public Works Director Fred Hurley had requested the transfer, telling selectmen on January 20 that the department had spent a total of $219,550 for overtime, sand, and salt out of a total budget of $255,000, with $106,314 for overtime alone and more than $50,000 each for salt and sand. The December 18 storm had cost about $27,000.

A December 5–7 snowstorm cost the town $80,187 in sand, salt, and overtime, about a third of the amount budgeted. Because it was a weekend storm, all salary costs were in overtime.

No cost estimates were available at press time for this week’s snow storm.

Last year’s overtime costs had topped off at $188,974, with $130,000 for sand and $102,000 for salt.

Mr Hurley told the selectmen that there was a supply of about 500 to 600 tons of salt and 2,500 yards of sand in reserve, enough for three or four small storms.

Though the additional appropriation should get the department through the winter, Mr Hurley cautioned that February is often the snowiest of the season.

First Selectman Herb Rosenthal said last week the town has been approved to receive 75 percent of the costs of the early December storm through the United States Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The federal disaster funds were authorized recently by President George W. Bush to supplement state and local efforts in response to the storm.

Following the President’s action, the counties of Fairfield, Hartford, Litchfield, New Haven, Tolland, and Windham were designated eligible for the federal funds. The funds cover the costs of equipment, contracts, and personnel overtime as well as sand and salt.