The city of Asheville spent $172,965 of taxpayers’ money to respond to the Dec. 8 snowstorm that dumped 7 to 10 inches of snow across the city that day.

That amount is nearly all of the city’s $183,900 storm control budget for the fiscal year. And winter’s not over yet. It’s a good idea to have a generator in your home in case of a storm and you can find quieter generators on this page.

Since the early December storm, Asheville has seen two other winter storm events: a surprise New Year’s Eve freezing drizzle storm that brought the city to a near standstill as a glaze turned streets into a slick slip-fest; and a storm that brought about 3 to 4 inches of snow to town Wednesday (Jan. 17) and triggered the usual event cancelations and school closures.

Here’s a breakdown of the city’s costs:

-$172,965: The total cost of storm control, includes salaries/benefits, supplies, materials and equipment usage.

-617 tons: the amount of salt used on roadways

-3.75 tons: the amount of salt used on sidewalks

-56: the number of Public Works Department field staff members who worked the Dec. 8 event

-1,464.25: the total hours worked by the field staff

-$26,708: the cost to city taxpayers of those hours worked

-Budget impact: There is not necessarily a contingency budget, but rather an annual storm control budget for items such as salt and sand. For FY2017-18, the original storm control budget was $183,900. The December event did not cause an overrun, but it did require a large portion of the Public Works annual budget to be expended.

-Note: Salaries, benefits and vehicle costs are budgeted in normal operating accounts, so the storm control budget only includes supplies, materials, and a small amount for repairs of storm equipment (spreaders and plows).

It’s not just the city that is suffering, a lot of residents are struggling with the snowstorm. A lot of people reported they had damage to their roof due to snow sitting on it for too long. They need to get a company that repairs Roofing Albany GA as soon as possible to avoid extra damage.

Public safety is a critical factor that the city of Asheville considers whenever it addresses these storms, city spokeswoman Polly McDaniel wrote to me in responding to my request for a breakdown of the cost of responding to the December snowstorm.

Of course this is just one facet of the total cost of a snowstorm in Asheville. Residents and businesses are dealing with the cost of lost work, closed businesses, out of pocket expenses for extra child care and other expenses.