AGENDA #5g

BUDGET WORKING PAPER

TO:                  W. Calvin Horton, Town Manager

FROM:            Bill Terry, Interim Public Works Director

SUBJECT:       Snow/Ice Removal Services for Town Sidewalks

DATE:             March 30, 2004

At a recent budget hearing with the Council, we were asked to identify the costs of providing snow and ice removal services for town sidewalks.

BACKGROUND

We presently remove snow and ice from various public areas, including selected sidewalks, using equipment and crews primarily in the Landscape Division of our Public Works Department. We have twenty-two full time authorized positions which are dedicated to such service programs during major snow and ice events. The equipment available for snow and ice removal includes one new snow blower (just added in the current fiscal year), one small loader, one small tractor, one adaptable mower blade and one broom brush. These labor and equipment resources basically are responsible for snow and ice removal from the following areas, in descending priority order:

I. Town facilities including Town Hall, Library, Community Center, Hargraves Center, Police Department, selected areas adjacent to Fire Stations and park facilities/areas.

II. Public Housing areas.

III. Public parking areas, including lots and parking deck, and bus stops (note: crews within Field Operations of Public Works Department clear areas used by buses for turn-around – e.g., park and ride lots).

IV. Sidewalks in business areas, primarily within the Town Center.

The downtown sidewalks totaling about 40,000 linear feet on Rosemary, Franklin Street and Columbia Street are included in the fourth category. Most of the additional 20,000 linear feet of sidewalks along Town Center side streets are not scheduled for service.

Once the four primary areas are serviced, we extend snow/ice removal to such major sidewalk areas as West Franklin Street and Airport Road. We note that it is frequently necessary to re-clear the higher priority areas prior to cleaning any additional sidewalks. This often is required because of continued precipitation and/or accumulations of snow resulting from street clearing.

DISCUSSION

Our research on this issue shows that, typically, local units of government in other states establish by ordinance that citizens are responsible for clearing sidewalks adjacent to their property.  The Town Attorney has advised us that the general statutes of the State of North Carolina would not support such an ordinance for North Carolina municipalities.  Our present practice of giving highest priority to clearing town streets and prioritized public areas, including selected sidewalks, is about the same as service programs existing in other cities in our area.

We believe there are two main options for providing a higher level of service:  addition of staff positions to the Landscape Division and increased funding for the contract services account of the Landscape Division.  Because addition of staff positions would only provide a minimal increase in our sidewalk clearing capability, we will focus on various contracted services options for the remainder of this report.

Estimated Cost of Contract Services.  Our research indicates that the cost of sidewalk snow removal is about $25 per seventy-five linear feet of sidewalk where there is no ice accumulation.  The cost doubles to $50 per seventy-five linear feet of sidewalk for removal of snow and ice.  This cost information came from a Canadian municipality where local contractors are well equipped for and experienced with this type of service.  There is no guarantee that local contractors will be able to provide the same service at this price.

Options for Increased Sidewalk Snow Removal.  We estimate that there are about ninety miles of improved sidewalks in Chapel Hill.  At the rates discussed above it would cost about $158,000 per day to clear all of our sidewalks on the first day of each snow storm.  We believe that his goal is unattainable because, in addition to the high cost, it would require a contractor that could mobilize on the order of 800 laborers.  We believe that a more realistic approach would be to identify discrete elements of work on high priority sidewalks.  Some examples of areas that might be targeted for sidewalk snow removal are shown below.  The cost estimates would be doubled for events where both snow and ice must be cleared from sidewalks.

1.   Expanded Downtown Service, 100 Block of Franklin Street East and West, 100 Block of East Rosemary Street and Columbia Street from Rosemary to Fraternity Court (both sides of the street). 

            Distance:  9,500 linear feet        Cost:  $3,200   Crew Size:  16

2.   Airport Road from Stevens to Weaver Dairy (one side only).

            Distance:  17,500 linear feet      Cost:  $5,800   Crew Size:  29

3. Franklin Street from Boundary to Estes (one side only)

            Distance:  6,400 linear feet        Cost:  $2,100   Crew Size:  11

4. Estes Drive from Airport to Franklin (one side only)

            Distance:  7,400 linear feet        Cost:  $2,500   Crew Size:  12

5. Ephesus Church Road from Fordham to Pinehurst (one side only)

            Distance:  5,300 linear feet        Cost:  $1,800   Crew Size: 9

Availability of Contact Labor for Sidewalk Snow Removal.  Our efforts to gauge the availability of contract labor for sidewalk snow removal were inconclusive.  Even a modest targeted program would require the employment of 50 to 75 contract laborers.  We believe that our current temporary labor vendors could supply some of the required labor; however, collecting them and transporting them to Chapel Hill during a snow event could be problematic.  Local Landscaping contractors may be able to fill some of this need; however, most do not have a large enough labor force to handle a contract of this scope.  It would probably be necessary to enter into contract with several vendors to meet the entire need.  Under this scenario, we would expect to pay some sort of annual retainer fee whether or not we used the contractor’s service.

Budget Implications.  Based on the information provided above, it seems clear that a decision to clear all Town sidewalks of snow and ice could cost in excess of a million dollars in a year where there are multiple snow events.  The cost of a program targeted to high priority sidewalks would be measured in the hundreds of thousands of dollars in a year with multiple snow events.  Because the number and severity of snow and ice events in our region are highly unpredictable, accurate budget forecasting is not possible.  Funding for this work could be provided by budgeting for the average snowfall with a commitment to use fund balance in those years where snowfall events exceed the average.

RECOMMENDATION

If the Council wishes to experiment with a higher level of service, we recommend that the Council identify specific high priority sidewalks to be included in a pilot program for FY 2004-05.  We further recommend that the pilot program budget allow for $100 per 75 linear feet of sidewalk to be included in the program.  We estimate that this funding level would be sufficient to cover four days of snow only events or two days of snow and ice events in FY 2004-05.  Such a pilot program would give the Council and the staff some practical experience upon which to base a decision as to whether or not a sidewalk snow clearance program should be continued or expanded in FY 2005-06.