Newton Mayor Marc Laredo’s request for the addition of $1.5 million to the city’s existing snow removal budget was approved by Newton’s Public Facilities Committee last week, putting the city on track to spend over $5 million on snow and ice removal throughout the winter season.
The appropriation comes after the Department of Public Works (DPW) completely depleted its existing $3.55 million snow removal budget, which is replenished every year. The city has already spent over $3.8 million to remove 42 inches of snow, which is $300,000 over the yearly budget, according to Shawna Sullivan, the department’s commissioner.
“We start our season with $3.5 million within the DPW budget, and the comptroller holds an additional 1.5 [million], so we have spent $3.8 million and some change for 42 inches of snow, and right now it’s about $93,000 per inch [removed],” Sullivan said.
Sullivan added that the cost to remove each inch of snow will only get more expensive, likely growing from $93,000 to $115,000, making the need for the additional $1.5 million more dire.
“Expect that cost to increase to probably about $115,000, that’s about the average,” Sullivan said. “This will allow us to continue our snow operation, especially with the four-inch storm moving Friday night and possibly some snow.”
The $1.5 million will be drawn from the city’s snow and ice reserve budget, which was revised from $500,000 to $1.5 million in 2024. The increase gives Newton an additional $1 million to spend on snow removal if needed.
Friday night’s snow shower marked the beginning of the funds’ use. The city now braces for a massive storm on Monday, with Massachusetts declaring a state of emergency for a storm that could drop up to 20 inches of snow in the state’s first blizzard since 2022.
It would be Newton’s second major snowstorm this season after the city saw two feet fall on Jan. 25 in the eighth biggest storm ever recorded in Greater Boston. It took DPW several days to clean up that fallen snow, which Laredo described as an “extensive cleanup effort” in a Jan. 28 email to Newton residents.
The DPW will also continue to test a new route navigation system for snowplow drivers to help efficiently remove snow during and after the storm, according to Sullivan.
“This will help our plow drivers that are unfamiliar with the routes actually be able to navigate them and see what roadways they missed,” Sullivan said. “It will also help our chasers to make sure the work is done. They’ll be able to say, ‘Hey, you missed the whole street’ … it is pretty incredible.”
With the season far from over, Newton residents are generally satisfied with the way the city’s been handling snow removal so far.
“I think they’ve done a good job,” said Shirley Spinetta, Newton resident and owner of the beloved Tango Mango restaurant in Newton Centre. “I mean, the main streets are done first. We need the main streets and then the other streets, where the houses are, come second, which, you know, but I think they’ve done a good job.”
When asked for a grade for the city’s job of removing the snow, Spinetta said that while good, it isn’t perfect.
“[I’d give them] a B+,” Spinetta said.
