Hampton Spent $60K on 'One of the Worst Single Storms' in Town History

Due largely to the costs of overtime for a staff that worked almost two days straight after finishing a full work week, last weekend's blizzard cost the town of Hampton about $60,000.

Public Works Director Keith Noyes said the "vast majority" of that total — "easily $55,000" or so — is due to overtime, while the remainder is due to estimated fuel costs, and salt and sand for the roads. That equates to roughly $3,300 per inch of snow based on Hampton's estimated 18-inch snowfall total, a price Noyes said is "pretty good" for "that type of storm."

It wasn't the most costly or largest storm in Hampton's history, although Noyes said his staff did say it was "one of the worst single storms" that they've faced.

Noyes said the cost of snow removal hasn't changed significantly in recent years due to the fact that public works union employees "haven't had raises in five years." The Hampton Public Works Department is the only unionized department currently working without a contract.