Community Corner

Town's Removal Budget Snowed Under

Even before this latest winter storm, the town had depleted its snow removal budget and gone $10,000 in the red.


Even before the flakes started falling in this latest winter storm, the town of Johnston had already exceeded its snow removal budget and gone $10,000 in the red.

Snowstorm after snowstorm have eaten away Johnston's $175,000 budget for snow removal and road treatment, Mayor Joseph Polisena said Thursday. The town has spent more than $184,000 so far this season, and winter isn't giving the town any breaks as the latest storm was expected to drop as much as 8 inches on the town. Polisena said he will have to look at the town budget and find a way to move funds from other line items.

There's no way of knowing how much further the town will go into the red, Polisena said. Every storm has a different price tag.

Find out what's happening in Johnstonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"It all depends on the snow, how much ice, the depth, whether it happens on the weekend," Polisena said. "It's not a good thing."

The storm that began Thursday morning and was expected to last into Friday afternoon, while a moderate storm compared to some others this season, is particularly frustrating, Polisena said. 

Find out what's happening in Johnstonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"You have to do it for safety," the mayor said about the cost of treating and clearing the roads. "But I saw next week is going to be in the 60s. It feels like throwing it out the window."


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