After piloting an enhanced snow and ice control program this year, The City will revert to pre-pilot service levels while working to implement changes and improvements where possible, within its existing budget. City Council provided this direction highlighting the need to balance cost and efficiency while always striving to ensure safety and mobility.
The pilot program focused on restoring mobility sooner and providing safe, accessible and well-maintained transportation infrastructure for all. This resulted in 24-hour snow and ice control operations during residential plows, increased traction control service, and enhanced clearing on trails, sidewalks, and bus stops.
“We are very proud of the work we did. In fact, this snow and ice season received one of our highest citizen satisfaction rates. However, the resources utilized during the pilot were considerable,” said Sarah Tittemore, General Manager of Community Services. “For this reason, it was important that Council had all the information so they could strike the right balance of service versus costs to our citizens.”
Council was presented with six options to move forward with snow and ice management, ranging from full pilot implementation to a return to pre-pilot operations, and provided the full budgetary considerations of each. The costs and pressures to fleet and staff to achieve the pilot's timelines and enhanced service were identified as significant barriers to fully implementing the Snow and Ice Pilot program.
“We had 95 freeze-thaw events from October 2023 to April 2024. With the enhanced targets for clearing all transportation networks, we were operating at a cost well above previous years and at unsustainable levels,” said Greg Sikora, Manager of Parks and Public Works. “In the interest of fiscal responsibility, administration recommended a return to pre-pilot levels with the implementation of a few low-cost changes that proved effective during the pilot and resulting in greater citizen satisfaction.”
Ultimately, Council agreed to revert to pre-pilot service levels, focusing on fiscal accountability with enhanced service where possible. Administration was also directed to prepare cost options for future budget discussions to achieve mobility enhancements, increased traction control, and 6-day compressed operations for residential (green and grey) route plowing programs.
“Moving forward, we remain dedicated to providing high-quality service delivery, to ensure we achieve the Integrated and Accessible Transportation Policy’s guiding principles of safe, accessible, well-maintained and accountable,” said Manager Greg Sikora.
City Council acknowledged that the pilot programs would require additional funds to complete and depending on the weather conditions to the end of this calendar year, final budgets will be reconciled with operating reserves if deficits are incurred.
To learn more about the snow and ice program, visit reddeer.ca/snow