Don’t know how they managed that; since last winter, Jan/Feb/Mar 2014, they didn’t bother plowing the streets, and this winter, Nov/Dec 2014 we had little or no snow.
Hmmmm …. something not right there … mismanagement of funds maybe.

Those 4 snow falls broke the bank I guess.

In the last 10 years the city has been under budget 2 times when it comes to snow removal. What that tells me is who ever is doing the budget is incompetant. Time to send someone, or a few someone’s packing. If anyone in the private sector was only hitting %20 they would be found incompetant and let go. Stop babying the incompetance.

Whole lot of cheating going on I would say.

Over by $600,000. Can’t wait to see what is left for the remainder of 2015.

They say this EVERY year…
maybe they need to increase the budget…
but with the Winter Games right around the corner you can bet they will have money for road clearing to all the venues…

anyone else notice the pothole repairs,
they are dumping fill into holes with water still in them,
and then they wonder why the patches don’t stick.
A little freezing,
the ice expands and forces the patch right back out…
but I guess they need smooth roads for the Winter games, if the patches last that long.

Thank you V Pal for nailing that down. I will supply a box of garbage bags.

City is over budget bcracer. It cost far too much in propane and a tiger torch is old school that would mean that the city employee’s would be exposed to the elements. Best just stay out of sight and out of mind.

What a joke, we had very little snow this fall.

Lyn Hall should spend a day with the Williams lake Mayor. I here he was raised on prairie oysters.

Yah but, Oneman, they worked it right this winter so far. Much better than last winter.

That’s about 11% over budget for 2014. Alberta Provincial government department budgeting used to shoot for plus or minus 3%, anywhere outside those figures was deemed to be poor budgeting – and there would be consequences! So I guess the City snow budget developers did not meet those “guidelines” for 2014. But don’t be too quick to blame Mayor Hall, remember the budget would have been developed in 2013 by the department managers. It would be nice to know what goals and standards for budget development have been set for the current managers. Does anyone have information on that, or about performance standards in general for City managers?

What I don’t understand is a budget fiscal period that spans more than a season.

Winter runs from October to April +-.
Why is the snow removal budget fiscal period January to December?

Is it a matter of synchronizing with the annual city budget?

or

Did some jerk-off in Victoria mandate the fiscal period?

It seems utterly absurd to have such a financial accounting system that does not reflect reality.

Loki, I expect it’s in line with the City Financial year, but I don’t know that. Does anyone know?

It was the only department that Shari Green cut 10% as promised in her campaign.

At least they plowed my neighborhood today… our roads were 95% dry. And you wonder where the budget is going.

I believe that municipalities are required to have a calendar year as their fiscal year, per community charter legislation.

The fact that it spans a couple of different seasons really shouldn’t make any difference to the budgeting model. One would think that you would still be looking at historical cost averages by month and projecting future costs based on that historical data.

Another consideration here is that when the snow budget was originally put together for 2014, the amounts were likely based on the service standards that were in place for previous years. When those were revised in late 2014, it’s entirely reasonable that the costs would be increased as compared to the original estimates. Those new standards would have to be accounted for when putting the budget together for 2015 and beyond.

I know they have done runoff/flood control twice already in our neighbourhood. Usually they only have to do it once in March, if at all. So that is where a lot of the money goes when you have loaders, backhoes, dump trucks, supervisors doing things that usually don’t have to be dealt with in the middle of winter.

If the city runs like any big business they do financial re budget every quarter. Bean counters aren’t very good at their jobs so they get 4 chances a year to redo the budget and seem to fail each time. We know they play the shell game, take money from here to cover there etc..that is just a disaster waiting to happen, just like you and I using one credit card to pay off another..

Time to make the bean counters accountable for their mistakes

Sure isn’t much plowing done here in Westwood

For as long as the city has been plowing snow you would think some of the people in this city would be better informed. As a reminder here are a few points to remember folks.

1. We are talking about snow and the weather changes significantly every year so the cost of removal will change as well. City crews don’t decide how much snow comes down they just react to whatever mother nature throws our way. There are many variables ranging from how much snow we get to when it comes.
2. The city, like ever other municipality operates on a January-December fiscal year. Been that way almost since time began.
3. In bad years the city has to dip into reserves while in good years where there is less snow they usually place any excess budget into the snow reserve. (a snowy day fund so to speak)
4. The quality and cost of snow clearing is a factor of service levels and not how much money is in the budget.

It is the last point that is most important. It was evident that the last mayor and some others on council thought the service levels were too high and thought she could squeeze some money out of the contractors who usually help out. That resulted in a reduction in service levels. Now at least it seems service levels have returned to what they have traditionally been. Thank goodness.

Mitch3. It actually doesn’t change that much, take a look online to see the yearly avgs, the problem is if you always budget for the lowest snowfall you will always be short.

As for the yearly budget, has always been that way.. Again..you can check out averages to make a educated guess of how much per month..

They don’t put the extra snow budget into a reserve, they spend it now.

The more machines and men to do,the job the better, faster and safer the job gets done.. It all depends on money.

Time for privatisation

P Val. I don’t disagree with your comments though if you look at the actual expenditure for snow removal in the city financial statements it can vary up to a million bucks from one year to the next – obviously dependent on the amount of snow.

The idea of a reserve I think was discussed when Backhouse was mayor and any funds were put into that reserve for a while but some recent councils have been a little short sighted in making sure the reserve was in reasonable shape. When Kingsley left office at the end of 2008, the city was a million dollars over their snow budget and there was nothing in the reserve. Ha nice parting gift to the next council.

and X-it. Half the equipment working on snow removal for the city are private contractors so privatization has already happened.

We would not need equipment if it was, or the management.

X-it, all I have to say is YRB, and how is that working out for you?

NyteHawwk

“X-it, all I have to say is YRB, and how is that working out for you?”

What about YRB? At least the highways are clean. City streets not so. Thankfully for the all the nice weather we have experienced my area is almost clear. City managed to plow my area twice this year.

Can’t compare to last year, because last year was pathetic. Far to many high paid city management with no direction.

The individual behind the electric go kart probably told the city because of mann’s warming there would be no need for a snow removal budget.

Maverick, ask the family that lost their loved one on the hart just recently how they feel about YRB’s performance.
Ultimately if it’s privatized you and I …..the schmucks who pay taxes will have even less knowledge of what those costs actually are, and far less oversight over how those funds are spent.

Damned if they do and damned if they don’t. To all those that only have negative things to say, you are going to hate what I have to say.

The crews have been doing an amazing job this year. Yes, amazing! We have cycled through small storms, large storms, melts and freezes. No municipality, I don’t care what the budget is, can effectively manage the climate fluctuations we have seen this year.

They are clearing streets, sanding, filling potholes and ASKING people to advise when and where they see problems so they can been addressed.

That, to me, is a great level of service.

YRB in the prince George area do a fantastic job, and always have. They should be training the rest on how to plow snow. Especially quesnel region.

NyteHawwk

I feel for the people who have lost love ones while traveling our highways. Winter weather is something man can’t control, but light is something that can. Maybe people should direct some attention to high number of pedestrian fatalities at night.

Seems the lighting is making it hard to see or distinguish people walking around our city streets. Is it old age or lighting?

“Privatization” Code word for let some fat cat get rich on the public dime

It all comes down to level of service for your tax dollar. Taxes are not going down so government propaganda instills in the public the high cost of service, therefore, directing the public to lower expectations for service. Its an old tactic but examples are how we do our shopping, today bulk warehouse type stores , yesterday Eatons. The price went down long enough to rid us of high quality products, choice, and service. Products and service are just as expensive today as in the days of ‘Eatons’.

my neighbor called the city because our street was the only one not plowed, the trucks were here in 20 mins. it was nice….. If our snow clearing equipment run off of gas we should save money this year!