Portland's Snow Budget Tapped Out

Portland First Selectman Susan Bransfield says the town is "at an end" for it's snow budget in the current year and is hoping for some major help from insurance and the Federal Emergency Management Agency to make up the additional special costs incurred from a difficult winter.  

Bransfield said the biggest cost will come from the extraordinary need to clear roofs of town buildings, as well as all schools, especially the High School and Middle School complex. All town buildings were cleared and then inspected for safety and water problems by a structural engineer brought in by the town.  He found no serious concerns. An additional contractor was brought in to make some minor repairs to the roof at the high school and middle school after teams of men were on the roof using heavy equipment such as snow blowers. Still another inspector, who worked on the construction of the high school complex, was called back in.  His report is pending, but the town has a verbal assurance there was no serious damage.

Town crews spent long hours plowing streets time and again during January's worst storms and more recently using bucket loaders and dump trucks to remove snow to widen town streets to allow two-way traffic. Snow was trucked to the town transfer station at Sand Hill where  Bransfield said there is plenty of  space for snow.

Dumping snow in the Connecticut river, she said Wednesday, was never considered.  Bransfield was also in the field, along with other selectmen, inspecting each of the streets to make sure they were passable.  She said it was non-stop and very tiring for her and others who work for the town.

Bransfield went on to say the regular snow budget is gone, that regular town workers have exceeded the overtime budget by $2,000 to $3,000. The bills have not come in yet for private contractors who were hired to help widen the roads and move snow. In addition, she said the budget and supplies for salt and sand are badly depleted.

The big issue arises from the town never having a budget for clearing roofs on town buildings and schools. It's perhaps the principle reason why the town looked for outside experts and firms, and the costs incurred have yet to be fully tallied. 

Bransfield is encouraged by a notice from the Federal Emergency Management Agency that some money will be coming for the first big storm in January, but it's not clear how much. She also is hoping that town insurance will help defray roof clearing costs.

If those two contingencies fall short, the town might have to tap an emergency fund, which  Bransfield feels would be a last resort. The town currently has 10 percent of its annual budget set aside, or about $2.8 million.

Looking ahead to the thaw sure to come in the spring, Gov. Dannel Malloy last week advised property owners who had not yet secured flood insurance backed by the National Flood Insurance Program to look into it. Bransfield says there are new maps in the planning department at town hall to help owners determine if they are in areas eligible for the insurance. She feels if homeowners have doubts about river flooding or other kinds of flooding or water damage, they should contact their insurance broker.

The board of selectmen will also be carefully going over Gov. Malloy's budget proposal was issued Wednesday. Bransfield feels the key line items they will examine will include the Education Cost Sharing Grants, which is the biggest source of state aid, averaging about $3 million per year.  Another program of concern will be payments in lieu of taxes for parcels of land the state has exempted from local property taxes. 

As for the Portland budget process, it will formally start Feb. 28 when Bransfield issues her proposed budget.  There will be public hearings and deliberations and a voter referendum is held in May.

Asked about the slight increase recently disclosed in the Portland grand list, Bransfield said it amounts to .61 percent.  She feels it will help mitigate fuel related costs for the town's oil and gas supplies.  Bransfield also expects debt service will continue to go down in the coming year.