Even though the mighty mounds of snow are gone, the price tag on the winter of 2026 may take much longer to thaw for public officials.
Officials in Haverhill and Methuen are facing steep deficits — millions of dollars — in snow removal budgets.
Across the state, spending on snow and ice removal far exceeded the allotted amount lawmakers budgeted for the fiscal year and the Legislature could soon be asked to appropriate additional funds.
That fiscal snowfall has been felt with Haverhill’s account nearing a $1 million deficit.
The city set aside $1.21 million for snow and ice removal in fiscal 2026 to cover plowing, salting and all other storm-response services through these winter months. Repeated storms and steady precipitation have caused costs to pile up faster than the powder though.
In a January revenue and expense report, City Auditor and Chief Financial Officer Angel Perkins said snow-related spending had moved faster than expected. By Jan. 7, the city had already spent $556,000 — about 46% of the total budget.
Later that month, the Haverhill City Council voted to authorize the city to spend beyond the fiscal 2026 snow and ice removal budget. Department of Public Works Director Robert Ward and Mayor Melinda Barrett requested approval to exceed the $1.2 million appropriation.
“Approval of this order will allow the City to continue snow and ice removal operations to ensure the safety and well-being of our community,” Ward wrote.
An expense report as of Jan. 31 showed the Public Works Snow & Ice Removal Salaries account was already nearly $81,000 over its allotted $148,386.
By February’s expense report, Perkins revealed that the account had pushed into a deficit of more than $960,000.
The city auditor had previously said that the city would need to cover the overage using funds from the budget reserve or free cash. The budget reserve account, which is designated for unforeseen expenses including additional snow and ice removal costs, had a balance of more than $743,000 on Jan. 7.
“Currently, the city has a deficit of $961,393 in the snow and ice account,” Perkins wrote last month. “Due to this deficit and other budget pressure, the Mayor has implemented a freeze on all discretionary spending through the end of the fiscal year.”
Meanwhile in Methuen, Mayor D.J. Beauregard said that while the city only budgeted $200,000 toward the winter weather, they expected to exceed that amount.
“The amount budgeted was $200,000 knowing the city would need to take from free cash regardless of the amount,” he said. “We’re looking at roughly $2.2 million in snow/ice expenditures from this winter.”
This school year, Methuen Public Schools budgeted $195,000 for plowing, and spent $290,000 by Feb. 21.
The district has also overrun its general maintenance fund. Methuen officials plan to use $700,000 from the salary budget to shore up each account. The funds are available due to vacancies in the school.
Groveland has exceeded its annual snow and ice removal budget, Highway Department Superintendent Arthur Markos said.
Although the town typically allocates $225,000 for such services, he did not have an exact figure, but confirmed spending has gone beyond that amount.
“We had those back-to-back storms getting over 20 inches,” Markos said. “That did us in.”
Several overnight storms earlier in the winter contributed to higher costs due to increased overtime pay for workers and the need to bring in outside contractors, he said.
The state’s fiscal 2026 budget includes $85 million for snow and ice removal. But year-to-date spending has already reached $156.5 million, according to State Highway Administrator and Massachusetts Department of Transportation Undersecretary Jonathan Gulliver.