Storms Plow Through Mansfield's Snow Removal Budget

Like most towns in Massachusetts, Mansfield has used their entire snow budget due to the historical snowfall seen in recent weeks.

Town Manager William Ross told the selectmen on Wednesday that the town is about $82,000 in the hole when it comes to the town’s budget for snow and ice removal. This fiscal year, the town had a budget of about $389,000.

Repairs to the plows, the purchase of salt, and payroll have also contributed to the budget.

Ross said that he will be asking the Finance Committee to allow for deficit spending and $200,000 in free cash for the snow and ice removal budget.

“Hopefully we won’t use it all but it looks like more snow is coming,” Ross said.

With two major storms past and one more possibly on the way, Fire Chief Neil Boldrighini and Police Chief Ronald Sellon praised the residents for their reaction to the storm.

Boldrighini thanked local residents for shoveling out 80-90 percent of fire hydrants in Mansfield with Sellon adding that they saw a significant drop in calls and drivers during the storm because of the travel ban placed on Jan. 27-28.

“It’s come a long way in the last 5-10 years,” Sellon said.

Mansfield can expect to do some more shoving in the next few days. The National Weather Service says there is a chance of snow on Saturday with snow likely from Sunday to Tuesday.