In weather, 3 years is not a trend, it's still an anomaly (and this winter, only one month has been abnormal - December, which was part of last years budget). It's not atypical for parts of the country to be in a drought or other abnormal weather patter for 3, 4, 5 years or more then return to normal after a half decade or so. No one knows if we'll get 20" of snow or 100" of snow next winter, but the odds are HIGHLY against getting another year of abnormally above average snowfall. In fact, last year central and northern Wisconsin were slightly below average in snowfall. All it would have taken was a 30-50 mile shift in a few weather patterns and southern Wisconsin is at normal precipitation for last winter. During the winters of 01-02, 02-03, and 03-04 Janesville received less than 20" of snow total each year. The following few seasons were near average, and last season was well above average. Last year and this year we've been stuck in a La Nina pattern which is a good indicator of colder than normal temps and higher than normal precipitation for the upper-midwest. The last solid La Nina pattern we saw was in the late 90's. We've been shifting between a weak to strong La Nina pattern since late 2007, and once could assume that once we are back in a neutral to warm enso pattern things will get back to normal.

ohmygosh1000- I thought I covered that, the money would come from the $5.3 million..... Not so DUMB of an idea now is it?

What are you all willing to give up if you want more money budgeted for plowing (which IS a dumb idea). Levy limits imposed by our rocket scientists in Madison limit tax increases at the local level. More money for plowing means less money for something else.
So what'll it be? What're you willing to do without?

And don't use the "museum" which doesn't exist. Nor the "tunnel" which doesn't impact levy limits.

Apparently my cut and paste skills are a bit rusty, this was my intended post:

Quoting gazettegazer:
"It's just assinine to prepare a budget for conditions that are rare...No one can seriously argue that a budget be prepared for this type of extreme anomaly....that's just dumb"

My response:

I beg to differ. One year is an anomaly, three years is a TREND! With reasoning skills like yours you should be on city council.

It's just assinine to prepare a budget for conditions that are rare...No one can seriously argue that a budget be prepared for this type of extreme anomaly....that's just dumb

I beg to differ. One year is an anomaly, three years is a TREND! With reasoning skills like yours you should be on city council.

Am I missing something? Why is it even a question the money going to the Fire Department and EMS? They are in the business of saving lives, is there any other question?

I want to appoligize, the date of the article with the discloser of the (extra money) was Thursday Dec 27th 2007, at that time director of administrative services Herb Stinski stated that there was A balance of $5.3 million in the "undesignated funds" slush fund the article was written by Ann Fiore Gazette staff. Just thought I would clear up where I feel the money could and more importantly SHOULD come from. I think maybe I might attend this meeting monday evening the answers should be interesting to say the least....... I truly hope that our new city manager reads some of these blogs as this might be the only source he has for whats really going on since he's new to the City of Janesville......

If the normal plowing is 4 then thats great, the city still has one more round for our street because by my count we saw the plows 3 times this winter so far! I wrote last year that they had better budget about $1.5 million for plowing,(Pretty close on that one wasn't I) if you guys at city budget and planning need help with this I'll bring the calculator and the paper you guys bring the white-out and the beer we can sit down and I'll explain it real slow so you can get it this time! First thing first we get rid of the HUGE slush fund you admitted to having last January in an article (over $4 million) with that money we can plow the streets and maybe just maybe mow our parks this summer!

lynda - Rock County averages around 40" of snow per winter season, last year we had over 100".

The city could save money, but they spend it on salting the streets four or five times, this is the same street.

One day I saw the salter trucks come by my home six times dumping salt on the street. My what a waste of money. Poor budget planning.

Even though it is a bus route, we don't need that much salt on the street. And if we get a cold snap that the temperature hovers around zero, the salt isn't working to melt the ice and snow.

better to be safe than sorry

Janesville should have used some of the money being spent on the ice arena to take care of this and many other needs instead of wants!!
The city of Janesville needs common sense!!! Someone please wake up the city manager.

lynda, I trust your memory as much as mine, which is to say, not much. ;-) I remember only one or two winters with snowfall accumulation comparable to the last two, and state climatology data confirm that we're in record territory.
http://www.aos.wisc.edu/~sco/clim-histor...
http://www.aos.wisc.edu/~sco/clim-histor...

I don't think it is dumb at all. For years we had unusually mild winters, then the last couple of years it has returned to the levels that I remember as a kid. Better safe than sorry.

It's just assinine to prepare a budget for conditions that are rare...No one can seriously argue that a budget be prepared for this type of extreme anomaly....that's just dumb

The city has actually increased the snow removal budget about 50% over the last five years. Several years it has been short in December but made up for in the January-March period. But snowfall may have permanently increased due to global warming, or may have had an unusually long La Nina effect. In any case, the city has tried to anticipate the situation, it's just exceeded all predictions two years running. Statistically that is probably an outlier and future years will regress toward the mean, or in other words, return closer to 37 inches in a winter.

Perhaps next year we can budget accordingly since the last three winters have hammered us. Heaven forbid we prepare for the worst and be left with, dare I say it, a surplus.