Budget cuts approved by Saint John council earlier this week are not expected to affect snow removal operations this winter, according to the city's works commissioner.
The works department's budget is "quite healthy right now," said Jeff Hussey.
That's largely due to last winter being "light," he said, citing few snowfall events and mild temperatures.
"We are projecting no service cuts this winter."
These cars in the city's south end were almost buried in snow last winter, but there weren't many snowfall events, which helped maintain a 'healthy' works department budget, according to the commissioner. (Bobbi-Jean MacKinnon/CBC)
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Having said that, it's difficult to predict, said Hussey.
Weather experts are forecasting a milder than normal winter, which usually brings more precipitation, he said.
But whether that means rain, or snow, or freezing rain remains uncertain.
Freezing rain events are harder on the equipment and "consumables," such as salt, than snow events, said Hussey.
The surface mason's budget usually ends up suffering from mild winters because freeze-thaw cycles create potholes and asphalt deterioration, he said.
Saint John has 1,160 lane kilometres of roads. "That's like [the distance] to Toronto," said Hussey.
The city also covers a wide geographic area — 316 square kilometres, he said.
"In context, we can fit both Fredericton and Moncton in there and still have a land mass similar to the south-central peninsula left over."
The city has 81 pieces of equipment designed for snow clearing and removal and 115 operators.
