Budgetary Blizzard: In The Winter Of 2015, New York City Spent $2.5 Million Per Inch To Clear Snow And Ice

(New York, NY) – In Fiscal Year 2015, it cost New York City $2.5 million per inch to clear 47.5 inches of snow and ice, the third highest per-inch cost over the last 13 years, according to a new data analysis released today by New York City Comptroller Scott M. Stringer. The FY 2015 data builds on a report released by Comptroller Stringer in January 2015: “The Slippery Cost Slope of Ice and Snow Removal in New York City.”

“Removing snow can be a budgetary blizzard with costs that can reach into the millions on a per inch basis,” Comptroller Stringer said. “Last year the cost per inch to plow snow and ice was higher than average, but a lot goes into making sure our streets are clear – from salt stockpiles to personnel costs to the number of inches of snow that falls.”

From FY 2003 to FY 2015:

• The average cost per-inch to remove snow and ice was $1.9 million.

• The annual cost for ice and snow removal ranged from a low of $25.4 million in FY 2008 to a high of $130.7 million in FY 2014, and a 13-year average annual cost of $60 million. However, from FY 2013 to FY 2015, the average cost increased to $95.5 million.
  

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