(STORY IMAGE:KHQ.COM)
SPOKANE, Wash. -Some of the cash from the budget still has to be set aside for the start of next winter. But since this winter has been so mild, a portion of the money left over has already been put to work filling potholes.
Clear skies are over the street maintenance yard, and the snow plows and some trucks are just sitting. Marlene Feist with the City of Spokane says sunny days mean they can focus on other projects "Our street department budget has some flexibility in it. We have a variety of maintenance we must perform every year whether that's street sweeping, pothole repair, leaf pick up, and of course the snow removal activities."
The total budget this year from January 1st, 2018 until December 31st, 2018 is $2.5 million for snow removal. The city hopes they can save some of that cash to fill in potholes, "We hope we can put some more into that asphalt budget," said Feist
Thanks to the warm weather the city of Spokane has already filled over 9-hundred potholes. Making your commute around town a little smoother, "We are staying on top of them. We are not seeing the large repetitive holes that we were seeing last year in March of last year which is really good." Feist said.
But Marlene says they need to be wise on how much they can shell out, "We still could get a blast of snow this month and in March. So we have to make sure we keep enough money to get us through the rest of this snow season and the start of next."