Snow removal cost Montgomery County taxpayers more than $50M last year 

Amount still does not come close to spending after ‘snowmageddon’ in 2010, budget official says 

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July 13, 2026 11:25 a.m.

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When winter storm Fern swept through Montgomery County in January, it brought nearly a foot of snow and ice followed by an extended period of harsh cold that left some commuters stranded for days and kept Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) closed for a week. It also carried a high price tag that is still being tallied. 

Though winter storm Fern was the most significant, the county experienced 10 snow and ice events this past winter amounting to nearly 20 inches of accumulation, according to county documents. The cost to county taxpayers?  

More than $50 million. 

The County Council voted unanimously on June 16 to move $38.9 million from the county’s general fund reserves to the Montgomery County Department of Transportation (MCDOT) budget to cover leftover costs related to storm cleanup.  

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MCDOT Director Chris Conklin has said the department is responsible for plowing 3,700 lane miles of residential streets. Other roadways are maintained by private entities and state and municipal transportation authorities. 

Also on June 16, the council voted to move $5.5 million from reserves to the Department of General Services for snow removal and other storm cleanup.  

The $44.4 million transferred from reserves was in addition to approximately $6.9 million the county already budgeted for weather events last fiscal year. 

County Chief Administrative Officer Rich Madaleno told Bethesda Today in a phone interview on Friday that the $6.9 million reflects the average cost of weather-related spending each year. He said the minimum funding level is included with the understanding that additional spending will be covered by reserves. 

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Madaleno, who served as the county’s budget director from 2018 to 2020, said County Executive Isiah “Ike” Leggett for several years proposed a higher funding level for weather-related expenses. That practice was discontinued because the council routinely re-allocated money from that category to others, Madaleno said.  

On Tuesday at 1:30 p.m., the council will hold a public hearing on a proposal for a $1.1 million supplemental appropriation to the Montgomery College budget that includes $326,675 in “costs associated with the ‘generational weather event’ of ice and snow over the winter.” That money would come from the college’s tuition and fee revenue, which was higher than expected, according to a council staff report.

The council also previously voted to move $8.5 million from the MCPS fund balance to help the district cover storm-related costs, including contractual snow removal services. Officials have said the district is responsible for clearing parking lots, bus loops and sidewalks on school property.  

This past winter still was not the most expensive on record, according to county officials. In fiscal year 2010 — when the county saw nearly 30 inches of snow from a single blizzard — storm-related costs totaled approximately $63.6 million, according to budget manager Chris Mullin.  

That’s approximately $97.7 million in today’s dollars according to Earl Stoddard, the county’s assistant chief administrative officer. 

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Originally published at Bethesdamagazine