Heavy financial losses claimed in snow removal expenses for Sault Ste. Marie and Sudbury cities
In the cold winter months, northern Ontario cities like Sault Ste. Marie and Greater Sudbury face unique challenges when it comes to maintaining their budgets. This year, these cities have seen significant overages in their winter maintenance budgets, primarily due to heavy snowfalls, frequent storms, and increased equipment maintenance and repair costs.
According to city officials, the public works department in Sault Ste. Marie is looking at a year-end budget overage of $2.4 million. In Greater Sudbury, the winter maintenance budget was exceeded by $22,033,159 last winter, more than $3.55 million over the budget. The storm in Sudbury alone caused delays to preventative maintenance such as winter ditching and catch basin clearing, and led to $2.9 million more being spent on plowing, sanding, and salting than forecast.
The city's transit department in both cities is also running over budget due to higher-than-expected repair and maintenance costs. In Greater Sudbury, these costs have yet to be fully quantified, but in Sault Ste. Marie, public works is experiencing higher-than-budgeted repair costs to the city's fleet and equipment, totaling close to $1 million by the end of 2025.
The police budget in Sault Ste. Marie has a deficit of $1.45 million, adding to the overall budget shortfall. A drop in the number of international students could lead to a drop in fare revenue for the city's transit department this fall, further exacerbating the budget problems.
However, city officials have stated that reserve funds could cover any operational deficits from this year, ensuring that essential services continue uninterrupted.
For those interested in the full staff report, it can be found on page 99 of the provided news app.
[1] Based on information gathered from the provided bullet points and additional research.
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