Buffalo officials say big boost in pay needed to attract private snow removal contractors

Jan. 5—Buffalo officials who are sorting through the snow-removal problems encountered during the Christmas week blizzard pinpoint the payment rate the city offers to private plows as a major issue.

The city's rate is 25% below what New York State can pay a contractor and roughly 46% below what Erie County pays, said Nathan Marton, commissioner of the city's Public Works, Parks and Streets Department.

That's hampering the city's ability to hire private contractors during big snowstorms, Marton said.

The city currently has six contractors it can call in an emergency.

"A couple of contractors from last year said, 'With all due respect, your rates are not high enough. We will not engage with you for emergency calls like this,' " Marton told Common Council members at a committee meeting Tuesday.

So instead they provided their services to the state and other municipalities that pay more, he said.

Between November and December, a city analysis showed Buffalo's rates were "significantly low," Marton said. The initial hourly rate for dump trucks was $125. The rate for pay loaders (or high lifts) was $175.

The city increased the rates by the time of the blizzard — up to $160 an hour for dump trucks and $220 for pay loaders — but still not enough to close the gap with the state and county.

"We hadn't changed them, I think, in like six years," Marton said.

The city paid a little under $1 million for private contractors during the November storm. The figure will be higher from the Christmas week blizzard.

"I think we'll be upward of that for sure — a million and a half," Marton said. "We're still waiting for some of those numbers to come in."

Council President Darius Pridgen encouraged Marton to file a request soon to raise the rates "so we have every contractor in this region that we can get to respond to the City of Buffalo."

"That's something that is low-hanging fruit that I hope (the administration) will come back to this Council as soon as possible," Pridgen said.

In a separate development Wednesday, the Brown administration cast doubt on a proposal by South Council Member Christopher Scanlon to use American Rescue Plan funds to buy more equipment and vehicles that first responders can use during snow emergencies.

It appears the purchases recommended by Scanlon are not allowed under the rules of the federal stimulus program, but city officials have contacted federal officials for clarification, said Deputy Mayor and Chief of Staff Crystal Rodriguez-Dabney.

Scanlon wants to purchase additional equipment for the city's fire, police and public works departments, including sidewalk snow removal equipment, fire trucks, SUVs with four-wheel drive for Buffalo police as well as snowmobiles, all-terrain vehicles and "other necessary equipment to right-size the departments."

Four snowplows and two loaders are expected to be delivered in late August. The funds to buy those came from the city's $26 million capital budget that was approved in November. In addition, 11 pieces of equipment were authorized in the capital budget, but the money hasn't been raised yet through a bond. The city intends to go to the bond market in March or April.

"They can take up to 18 months to get here," he said of the additional pieces of equipment.

Another of his department's goals is making sure the department has the right equipment, he said.

"Replacing a plow for a plow or a high lift for a high lift is important," he said, noting the city has an "aged fleet."

About 17 vehicles are 14 years old or older.

"We have to keep that upgraded, but the opportunity to look at other kinds of equipment, I think, is important, as well," Marton said. "Those narrow streets, our plow trucks can't get down so you can buy 50 more plow trucks but some of these streets we have a really difficult time getting down."

The city has 60 pieces of snow-fighting equipment, including front loaders, plows and dump trucks fitted with plows. But because of repairs, there were about 40 pieces of equipment available during the storm, Marton said.

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