Councilors question city on snow plowing decisions

Select Board · Meeting of February 12, 2026

Springfield's city snow operations were about $700,000 over budget, officials told a council committee. Director Chris Cignote told the City Council's Maintenance and Development Committee that the $1.591 million snow and ice budget went into deficit as of the previous Friday, driven by salt that could reach upwards of $800,000 against a budget of about $450,000. He estimated the year-end overage at $700,000 to $1 million.

Cignote said the city had fewer than 100 plow contractors, down from more than 150 a decade ago, and was about 10 drivers short. Two new hires had not shown up. Councilors raised side-street plowing, tall snow banks and towing costs, and Cignote said "it's going to get worse before it gets better" for potholes.

In the full story:

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• Why It Matters
• Key Motions & Votes
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• Springfield's community access TV: Maintenance and Development Committee meeting, February 12, 2026
• The complete report: 816 words

Source: the Select Board meeting of February 12, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

Checked against the record: before publication this article was automatically compared with the meeting transcript.