Windsor Reduces Winter Road Budget Despite Recent Heavy Snowfall Expenses
In a decision that highlights the financial balancing act municipalities face during harsh Canadian winters, Windsor city council has voted to cut winter road maintenance funding by approximately $385,000. This reduction comes just one day after the city was forced to spend about $450,000 clearing residential streets following a significant snowfall event that blanketed the region.
Budget Normalization Amid Variable Weather Patterns
During 2026 budget deliberations, council members agreed to "normalize" the funding allocated for winter road maintenance, reducing the budget by nearly seven percent. The decision was based on weather patterns and average spending over the previous five years, resulting in a winter road maintenance budget of just over $5.3 million for 2026.
"Like any other municipality, we have heavy years, we have lighter years. The intent here was to try to normalize the process to some degree," explained city infrastructure commissioner David Simpson during the special budget session.
Historical Overspending Challenges
A staff report presented to council revealed that, with one exception, the city has consistently overspent its winter road maintenance budget in recent years:
- The city was projected to overspend its $5.7 million 2025 budget by $486,241 (8.5 percent)
- In 2024, it overspent by $176,810 (3.1 percent)
- In 2022, it exceeded its budgeted amount by $278,750 (five percent)
- In 2021, it overspent by $120,589 (2.3 percent)
The only year the city came in under budget was 2023, when it spent $229,926 less than allocated for winter road maintenance.
Residential Snow Clearing Protocol and Costs
According to city policy, Windsor only plows residential streets when accumulated snowfall exceeds 10 centimetres, and only after main routes have been cleared. The recent snow event that prompted the $450,000 residential clearing operation took approximately 24 hours to complete across all neighborhoods.
"That's expensive, and it's really something I think that we need to make sure people are aware of," said Ward 10 Councillor Jim Morrison. "People are asking us to keep taxes lower, and we're coming in here, hopefully, at zero percent, but when we get three inches of snow and we start getting calls, we need to justify why we're not going into the residential streets."
Contingency Planning and Community Response
Simpson noted that in years where Windsor faces "heavy pressure" from winter weather, the city can tap into reserves to cover additional snow clearing costs. "We would do our best in the following year to come up with efficiencies to offset that ... there are light years, and there are heavy years," he explained.
The city's winter control operations on main routes cost approximately $15,000 per hour during normal workdays, with 21 main routes receiving salting and/or plowing services once snow begins to accumulate.
This budget decision underscores the ongoing challenge Canadian municipalities face in balancing fiscal responsibility with essential winter services, particularly as residents grapple with the realities of winter weather while expecting maintained infrastructure and reasonable tax rates.
