Snow Removal

The repeated onslaught of snow, sleet and ice this winter has put the county's snow removal budget in the red by more than $800,000.By 7 a.m. yesterday, the county had spent $1.1 million for sand, salt and overtime pay for the workers who spread it. The Department of Public Works budgeted only $280,000 for snow removal in the fiscal year that began July 1.The county had no choice but to spend the money and find some way to make up for it later, said Lisa...

One month into the winter season, Sykesville already has amended its public works budget twice to provide snow removal money.The original town budget set $3,000 for road materials. In December, the town clerk asked for an additional $2,500. Monday, he asked for another $1,000."I don't think $5,500 will get us through the winter," said Vincent J. Diffenbaugh, the clerk-treasurer. "The salt bill alone is $2,000."The Town Council approved Mr. Diffenbaugh's request at its meeting Monday.The money will pay for another 40-ton load of salt.

The week-long blizzard (OK, a slight exaggeration) that blanketed Carroll County and its towns, closing schools and businesses earlier this month, played havoc on the annual snow removal budgets of some governments.The county, for example, has only 20 percent of its $542,220 snow removal budget left after that triple-winter punch.With only $106,800 left, the county could handle just two or three more snowstorms before the removal program goes broke, said Benton Watson, chief of the Bureau of Road Operations.

Stung by public complaints about snow removal after the blizzard in March, Baltimore County Executive Roger B. Hayden yesterday announced a new plan to clear the roads this winter.In two major changes, the county will integrate the school department's 24 heavy snow trucks with its own fleet of 125 vehicles and will hire private contractors to help clear 11 major county roadways.In addition, Mr. Hayden said, the county will call its drivers in before snow starts falling, instead of waiting for snow to build up.Mr.

The budget-buster snow has Sykesville officials amending figures, shuffling funds and trimming expenses.An infusion of federal money, promised for snow removal on emergency routes, would help ease the crunch."

The Carroll commissioners don't know how badly last weekend's snowstorm will overwhelm the county's snow-removal budget, but the county's budget director said yesterday that emergency funds should be able to cover the cost without wreaking financial havoc. But the county's eight municipalities - many with total budgets of a few million dollars - have less wiggle room, and several plan to seek relief from state and federal coffers. The county had spent about 80 percent of its $780,000 snow-removal budget before the storm, said budget director Ted Zaleski.

When residents griped about Baltimore County's snow removal efforts after the blizzard of March 1993, the Hayden administration came up with a new, improved plan that was supposed to put more road-clearing power on the highways this winter.But the new plan is drawing complaints too, as residents continue to struggle on ice-slicked collector roadways three days after Monday's snow and ice storm, while the state-maintained highways fed by those local roads are generally clear.The county plan, approved in late October, combined school and county road crews into one force and added private contractors to clear 11 major county collector roads.

Take 25 inches of snow, warm gently by day, freeze overnight and thaw again in the morning. Add salt. Repeat. Add another 18 inches of snow after 72 hours. Repeat previous instructions. Uncover. Voila! The recipe for Potholes Maryland! All over the city and the region, motorists are dodging, weaving and sometimes thumping right through the multitude of craters that have been cooked up by the recent twin snowstorms. A new storm that might arrive Monday and Tuesday could bring yet another batch.

Even before this weekend, the Howard County Department of Public Works had spent more than two-thirds of its $280,770 snow removal budget.Six earlier storms were mostly to blame, department officials said Friday. The county spent $194,303 on those cleanups, which required 3,893 tons of salt, 10,920 tons of cinders and 9,720 gallons of fuel.If the department exhausts its budget -- a problem during the icy winter of 1993-1994 -- it will have to ask the County Council for more money. Although the county budget is growing tighter, public works officials believe the council would come up with the money if necessary.