Winter Storms Taking Toll on Portsmouth Snow Removal Budget

Portsmouth Public Works Director Steve Parkinson doesn't know yet what the latest snow removal costs are from Tuesday's winter storm or the first winter storm the city saw at the beginning of March, but he is hoping Mother Nature gives the city a break.

On Wednesday afternoon, Parkinson wrote in an e-mail the city has spent $345,000 of its $471,000 snow removal budget, which does not include this week's winter storm that dumped another six- to eight inches of snow.

"At the end of February, the department had spent approximately $345,000 out of a budget of $471,000, or 73 percent," Parkinson wrote. "I believe that if it does not snow anymore this year we will be okay."

When asked what the department's biggest snow removal related expense tends to be, Parkinson said it can vary depending on the type of storm the city experiences.

"If it is ice and sleet the biggest cost is salt. If it is deep snow then it is labor costs. Duration of storm affects labor and temperature affects usage of salt," he wrote.

Portsmouth is not alone. According to a recent WMUR story, several other cities and towns as well as the state Department of Transportation are running out of money in their snow removal budgets.