Long Island Towns Beefing Up Snow-Removal Budgets
HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- Some Long Island towns are setting aside more money for snow removal after last year's nasty winter depleted budgets.
As WCBS 880's Sophia Hall reported, leaders in the towns of Babylon, Brookhaven and Hempstead said they want to be prepared and not to run out of salt and sand.
Hempstead Town Supervisor Kate Murray said last year her town budgeted $2 million for snow removal, but spent more than $2.4 million. This winter, it is setting aside $2.8 million.
"The bottom line is you can't skimp on salt, and you can't skimp on snowplowing," she said. "It's the public safety at risk. So you have to do everything you need to do."
If this winter turns out to be mild, the extra money would go to the Highway Department for items such as road and sign repairs, Murray said.
Murray said Hempstead is also continuing to stockpile salt.
"You might recall last year, because the winter was so harsh, there was a point when a lot of municipalities literally ran out of salt," Murray said. "Because of our stockpiling policy, we never ran out."
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