Pray for sun: 2011 budget is betting on little snow

The Nutter administration is fervently hoping for a warmer winter in 2011, but unlike this year, it is slightly hedging that bet with a new $4 million "reserve for unanticipated expenditures."

Residents and even a few national media outlets such as CNN were surprised to learn this winter that Philadelphia does not budget for snow removal. Historically, the Streets Department budget contained a little extra padding, which could be used when storms struck. But that relatively meager surplus was wiped out during last year's budget cuts, said city Finance Director Rob Dubow.

$4 million is nowhere near enough to remove snow in a record-setting winter like this one, which has already cost the city $16 million it could ill afford to lose. But it is better than nothing.

Dubow said the city would never set aside $16 million, given how unusual such epic winters are in Philadelphia. And he noted that the new $4 million fund may well end up being tapped for different unanticipated expenses altogether.

"It could be snow, but there are a whole bunch of contingencies that we face, and so we wanted to have a little reserve," Dubow said.

The budget calls for the money to reside in the Finance Department. City Council would have to approve its transfer to another department to cover an unexpected contingency cost.

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Posted by Patrick Kerkstra @ 4:23 PM Permalink | 9 comments

Comments

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 7:11 PM, 03/05/2010

CNN would be really amazed to find out that Philly doesn't collect property taxes and is owed $500 million in overdue property taxes.

— CleanupPhilly

Comment removed.

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 1:45 AM, 03/06/2010

Amen, cleanupphilly.

— mantua633

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 4:29 AM, 03/06/2010

Hiding four million on the snow line Mikey. Crossing entities should be illegal, once fixed. If you don't use it, where is it going, back into the payroll. I want to know now.

— FJG JR

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0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 6:48 AM, 03/06/2010

Don't worry about the snow. Worry about the fact that there is nothing in the budget to cover the costs of contracts with the unions. It's a fake fantasy budget, and when inevitably those costs that he didn't include bust the budget, he will be whining about how his sweet drink tax and trash tax don't cover "unanticipated" expenses. He's a moron who refuses to aggressively pursue uncollected taxes and who claims "fixing" the BRT will take 2 years, making the "fix" happen after his next election.

— btruth