Cleaning up last winter’s storms cost Montgomery County about $15 million more than it had budgeted.
Just over $5 million was set aside for snow removal for the current fiscal year for the county’s Department of Transportation and the Department of General Services, and the total cost of cleanup was $20.8 million, with $19.4 million of that needed for snow plowing.
Among the weather events was a snowstorm the weekend of Jan. 12 that dumped 13 inches in some parts of the county.
In recent years, the county has retroactively budgeted additional money for snow removal toward the end of each fiscal year.
The cost of plowing is typically $1 million per inch of snow. In 2018, the county spent $15.2 million on snow removal — three times the amount budgeted. And in 2016, when the region received a blizzard of more than 3 feet of snow, the county spent $40 million on plowing.
County Executive Marc Elrich is asking the County Council to shift funds to cover the additional costs.
Elrich has recommended $11.4 million in his fiscal 2020 budget for snow and storm cleanup.
Dan Schere can be reached at Daniel.schere@moco360.media
