Batavia cleanup costs starting to pile up along with snow

Batavia spent $87,303 more on labor for the streets and sanitation workers than it intended to in 2008, in large part due to snow storms early and late in the year.

The overage came in accounts for double-time and overtime payments in the streets and sanitation department.

Some of it was due to severe weather in the summer.

It spent $40,963 more on double-time, which is paid to people when they work from midnight to 7 a.m.

It spent $46,340 more on overtime, which is paid when a worker has put in more than eight hours in a day, working past the normal 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. shift.

It had budgeted for $130,000 in overtime and double- time.

For 2009, it has budgeted $185,000 for those expenses.

"My overtime budget is a challenge already," said Scott Haines, streets and sanitation superintendent, reporting to the city services committee Wednesday night. In December alone, the city spent $93,000 on labor related to clearing away snow.

He also updated the members on some changes in practice this winter, due to the cost of salt.

The city has stopped salting side streets, except at hills, curves and intersections with stop signs. Before that it salted side streets, but mixed the salt with sand to stretch it in those areas.

It is also trying to save money by delaying plowing of the "bubbles" of cul-de-sacs. On weekdays, those are plowed out only during the normal workday.

And for people looking for a parking space on Wilson Street downtown, take heart: today and Friday city crews will clean up the big piles of snow blocking spaces near the bridge.

Haines said the city has 800 or so tons of salt in storage, and is due to be delivered another 1,400 under its present contract, at $54 a ton. After that, it would have to buy salt from another supplier, and the cheapest he has seen is about $120 a ton in that market, he said.