Who is a member?
Our members are the local governments of Massachusetts and their elected and appointed leadership.
After a winter of major storms and historic snowfall, many communities are exceeding their snow removal budgets and local officials are looking at how to balance their budgets.
The winter of 2014-2015 will rank among the highest for snow totals in Massachusetts, according to National Weather Service data. As of Feb. 27, Boston had a total of 101.8 inches of snow, marking the second snowiest on record. This winter ranks as the third snowiest in Taunton, with 86.4 inches of snow, and the fourth snowiest in Worcester, with 108.5 inches.
With these extreme snow totals crippling much of the Commonwealth, particularly eastern Massachusetts, municipal officials are struggling to stay within their snow and ice budgets.
On a visit to Washington, D.C., in late February, Gov. Charlie Baker lobbied for a disaster declaration, which is required to receive federal aid. In the event of a major disaster, the federal government may reimburse cities, towns, state agencies and certain nonprofits up to 75 percent for the cost of snow removal.
Gov. Baker has said that he will seek federal assistance for the storms occurring in January and February. Federal reimbursements generally cover individual events, however, and may not take into account the impact of several storms in a short period.
The Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency is beginning the process of determining eligibility for federal assistance for the blizzard of Jan. 26-28, MEMA Director Kurt Schwartz informed local emergency management directors in a letter dated Jan. 30.
“Many communities may have received record or near-record snow accumulation,” Schwartz wrote. “Therefore, some communities may qualify for snow assistance as part of the declaration, and be eligible for reimbursement of snow removal costs.”
To be eligible, the Commonwealth and each county must meet fiscal and impact thresholds. Initial damage assessments are needed to gather cost information from communities and to see if formal Federal Emergency Management Agency and state preliminary assessments will be conducted. Assessments for MEMA Regions 1, 2 and 4 were due by Feb. 9.
Since the start of fiscal 2004, the federal government has issued 23 disaster declarations, 21 of which have been for weather events.
Assessing costs
The MMA is conducting a survey to determine the winter’s impact on local snow removal budgets. The short survey asks communities about their snow and ice budgets compared to their actual spending in fiscal 2014 and 2015. Surveys were mailed to chief municipal officials in every community. The survey will provide the MMA with accurate data about snow removal costs.
Municipal snow and ice budgets have doubled since fiscal 2004, going from a statewide total of $56 million in 2004 to $115 million in fiscal 2014, according to data from the Division of Local Services. Despite the growth, however, communities still struggle to cover their costs.
In fiscal 2014, 111 communities reported a deficit on their balance sheets, according to Division of Local Services data. This means that many communities carried their deficits into fiscal 2015, which they will have to pay this year by making budget cuts or passing overrides.
Without federal or state assistance, it is clear that this year’s municipal snow removal deficits will be much larger, triggering even deeper budget woes for local taxpayers.