Logan City trying to overcome budget issues due to strong winter


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LOGAN — It has been a longwinter for those living in Logan, especially for snowplow drivers, who are working long shifts to keep the roads clear.

Logan City’s public works director, Mark Nielsen, said this season has been incredibly hard on his team.

“They are sick of snow,” he said. “It’s something that it’s our job to do, but it seems like every weekend, there’s new snow or new problems and it’s been tough on them.”

It has also been tough on the city’s budget. Nielsen says in the 13 years he’s worked for the city, he’s never seen a winter quite like this.

“We are over budget and our Street Maintenance and Storm Water departments are about $4,000 (over budget) thus far… our salt purchases have exceeded our budget by $40,000,” he said.

In 2015, the city spent $43,000 on salt. Last year, it more than tripled to $156,000.

So far this fiscal year, the city has had to spend $200,600.

The numbers are alarming, but in the end, Nielsen said it will not impact residents.

“We work to move money around to make it work,” he said. “Getting money from other departments if we need it.”

But it also means future city projects could be delayed or cut. Nielsen said it’s one of the tradeoffs when dealing with Mother Nature.

“She can be my best friend and sometimes my worst enemy,” he said. “This year, she's been pretty brutal."

If needed, Nielsen said they could go to the City Council for emergency funding.

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