The City of Quesnel went over budget when it comes to snow removal in 2022.
Kari Bolton is the Director of Finance.
“Our budget for 2022 was 1.27 million for snow removal. At this point, with our preliminary numbers, we’re sitting at 1.4 million. That’s largely due to high fuel costs and also the early winter we got this year in October.”
Bolton says they will dip into the snow reserve to pay the extra 130 thousand or so dollars that is needed.
“Each year the City collects money to put into the reserve. In budget 2023 we will be looking at how we fill that reserve back up. The snow reserve is set at 30 percent of the next year’s budget. Right now it’s 380 thousand.”
Bolton says once they get back to that amount they will no longer collect for the reserve, as money is only set aside in the budget when it dips below that amount.
She says the budget includes snow removal from the streets as well as driveway entrance cleaning, sanding, and for staff to shovel sidewalks.
Quesnel’s snow budget actually came in under budget in 2021, but that has not been in the norm in recent years.
Including this year, it has now been in the red in 11 of the last 14 years.