Marblehead ups snow removal budget to $300G

MARBLEHEAD – The cost of snow removal for this winter has gone up another $80,000.At a budget meeting last Wednesday selectmen voted to rescind a Jan. 22 vote upping the cost of snow removal to $220,000 and voted instead to authorize snow and ice removal spending of $300,000.The increase was requested by Dana Snow, the director of public works, who appeared before the board to present his proposed $892,328 budget for FY 2010, which includes $672,644 for salaries, $85,934 for expenses, $33,750 to rebuild and maintain streets and sidewalks and $100,000 for snow removal, totaling $892,328. Selectmen approved the request for presentation to the Finance Committee.This year eastern Massachusetts faced heavy snowfalls, forcing Marblehead to declare a snow emergency from Jan. 22-30 so that snow could be removed from certain impassable streets and sidewalks and dumped in the ocean.As the snow piled up, so did the bills. For budget purposes public works directors like Snow are well aware that even when there isn’t enough snow to plow, the streets still require sanding and salting to counter the effects of light snow or sleet.Three years ago the town spent its snow removal budget – $100,000 – by early February. Since then it’s been gone by New Year’s. In mid-January selectmen set a snow removal spending cap of $200,000 and a week later they upped it to $220,000.As Town Administrator Tony Sasso has pointed out, "Everyone around us is suffering the same way."