Brutal Winter Leaves Some Municipalities With Depleted Snow-Removal Budgets

STAMFORD, Conn. (CBSNewYork) -- As Mother Nature belts the Tri-State Area with snowstorm after snowstorm, some municipalities are draining their budgets to clean up the mess.

In Rockland County, Clarkstown Highway Superintendent Wayne Ballard told WCBS 880's Paul Murnane the town has gone through 80 percent of a year's supply of rock salt in two months. Many of this year's events have included sleet and ice, which require pricier melting materials.

Ballard said in the worst winters, crews are out for 18 storms. The storm forecast to hit the area late Wednesday and Thursday would be the 17th.

Meanwhile, with pothole season in hand, some public works officials in New York were in Albany on Wednesday lobbying for road repair money.

In Stamford, Connecticut, City Operations Director Ernie Orgera said $1.5 million was budgeted for snow removal. The city may need another $200,000 to finish the season.

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"After the first three weeks of January, we thought we wouldn't spend the entire budget," Orgera said. "Right through February, we got hit with storms every couple of days, and it just destroyed our budget."

Orgera said the budget is set using the average of the past five winters.

"Last year, we had over 70 inches of snow," he said. "This year, we're looking at close to 60 inches. A regular winter is about 22 to 25 inches."

Crews in Stamford have been out working overtime on back-to-back weekends fighting the snow and ice.

Meanwhile in Greenwich, the Public Works Department might ask the town for additional funding after exhausting its $1 million snow-removal budget, the Greenwich Time reported.