As officials prepare to move into the final stages of finalizing the 2016 budget proposal, selectmen on March 16 were forced to amend the current year spending plan by nearly $300,000 to accommodate the materials and overtime costs required to keep Newtown’s roads clear and safe this winter.

During their regular meeting Monday and on the recommendation of town Finance Director Robert Tait, selectmen amended the current year’s budget to reflect $298,031 in added spending to cover unanticipated salt, sand, and overtime expenses. Mr Tait said while the current year’s contingency fund is already exhausted, a unbudgeted increase in two state revenue accounts virtually equaled the amount required to shore up the winter roads account.

“This was money coming to the town from the state that was more than the governor’s original budget called for — which was the amount we budgeted,” Mr Tait told The Newtown Bee. “We originally slated that surplus to go into the town fund balance, but it was just a couple thousand [dollars] more than we required for the winter storm budget, so we just put that extra into buying more sand.”

The finance director said each year’s winter roads budget is calculated on a rolling five-year average, and that the winter of 2014-15 was unusually demanding compared to the average. The original budget estimate called for $320,342 in salt, $63,407 in sand, and $156,370 in overtime expenses for plow crews.

As of March 5, the Highway Department had used $441,573 in salt, $76,372 in sand, and $277,797 in overtime.

The Bee previously reported on frustrations expressed by First Selectman Pat Llodra earlier in the winter because so many of the storms that compromised Newtown’s roads occurred outside the normal work days when crews would be compensated at their regular hourly rate. Of the 22 storm incidents detailed on a winter storm report from the Highway Department, only five called for crews to begin working during their normal weekday shifts, which greatly increased response and overtime costs.

In contrast, five of the worst storms each demanded more than 500 hours of overtime, with one storm that lasted from January 26-28 racking up more than 674 hours of overtime work, costing $27,288. Another system that hit March 1-2 cost another $25,457 for the 609 hours of overtime required.

Mr Tait said if Newtown is faced with any additional early spring storms, the Highway Department can either “scrape the bottom of the barrel,” or the town will be required to dip into its fund balance to cover any added expenses.

Public Works Director Fred Hurley said a number of vehicles in the town fleet will be temporarily parked because they require $50,000 to $75,000 in repairs resulting from winter wear and tear. They will be restored to full service in the new budget cycle which begins July 1, and will be ready for the next winter season, Mr Hurley explained.

He said the current priority is to maintain town police vehicles, and others being used by the Parks & Recreation Department, which is ramping up for its busy spring season.

During that same meeting, selectmen approved spending $75,000 from the capital nonrecurring fund to underwrite the costs of Phase I and II of the ongoing municipal building strategic planning process.

Geralyn Hoerauf, consultant to Newtown’s Municipal Building Strategic Plan Committee, told The Bee that the funds would cover a consultant specializing in space needs assessments, a separate consultant who will scope and report on municipal facility conditions, as well as a nominal amount to cover the costs of her own services to the town and committee.

Those costs were determined and averaged based on proposals requested from vendors who specialize in this type of work, she said. The selected vendors for those services are expected to be presented to selectmen on April 2.