Pray it doesn't snow, but get out the shovels just in case - the city's snow removal budget is already down to approximately $240,000, and the snow has yet to fly.
"At a quarter million per snowfall, we'd better hope we don't have more than five or six snowfalls before January," Mayor Dan Rogers said.
City financial planning supervisor Kris Dalio told city council's committee of the whole on Monday that heavy snowfall in the early part of the year has depleted the snow removal budget.
"It has put us in the position that we need to consider a lift in the snow control levy," Dalio said.
City administration advised city council to increase the snow control levy from $5.04 million in 2011 to $5.2 million in 2012.
Currently the city's snow control reserve has a balance of $1.4 million, Dalio added, but that could be depleted by - or before - the end of the year.
Environment Canada is predicting below-average temperatures throughout Western Canada from October to December as a result of the La Nina weather pattern. According to Environment Canada, Prince George has a 60 to 70 per cent chance of experiencing colder-than-average weather until the end of 2011.
In addition, the agency predicts a 20 to 30 per cent chance of above average precipitation for Prince George between October and December.
If the snow control reserve is depleted before the end of the year, additional snow removal costs will have to come from the city's general funds.
