Citation

Black T. Am. City Cty. 1997; 112(4): 32.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1997, Penton Media)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Budgeting for snow and ice removal is a challenging task for municipalities. Historical snowfall data can serve as a guide; but, Mother Nature can be unpredictable and long-range weather forecasts are not highly accurate. This article describes some budgeting shortfalls for snow and ice removal that are becoming more and more common across the nation. Two measures that are gaining popularity to ensure the necessary funds for snow removal are snow insurance and emergency cash reserves. Generally, snow insurance is based on the municipality's average annual snowfall, deductible, geographical size, and other factors; catastrophic coverage can be purchased at a lower cost, which kicks in when a city exceeds its average annual accumulation. Emergency cash reserve, the other funding strategy, is used on an as-needed basis; funds are made available or sought when the snow removal budget is exhausted. Sidebars describe power sweepers for snow removal and how public and private sectors cooperate to remove snow.