Montreal West's financial statements for the past fiscal year, which were tabled in town council last month, show the town has a current deficit of $264,302, compared to a $33,202 deficit in the previous year.

According to Councillor Colleen Feeney, who was tabling the statements during Mayor Campbell Stuart's absence, about $200,000 of the cost overrun resulted from snow removal expenses incurred during the gruelling winter last year.

"It's the area that's mainly responsible for the deficit of 2007," she said, adding, "we haven't yet looked at 2008, but I have to say we're certainly heading that way, if we all remember the snow removal that we had to do last year."

According to Feeney, one of the possibilities Montreal West is contemplating to deal with the unexpected deficit "is that it goes in as an expense right at the start and then we try to balance our budget with that in there …

"I'm sure there are many, many towns and municipalities this year that are looking at deficits as a result of the snow … We've seen this throughout the city and the province. So I'm sure we're not the only town having to deal with these kinds of additional costs. We're all going to just have to find some way to be able to balance the budget for 2009."

The City of Côte St. Luc, which signed new snow removal agreements with private contractors in August, is seeing its costs for service rising 14 per cent. Last winter marked the first time since 2001 that snow accumulation in the Montreal region exceeded 239 centimetres. A record 371 centimetres was recorded by season's end.

As in most municipalities, snow contracts in Côte St. Luc are based in large part on the amount of snowfall. In Côte St. Luc's case, it stands to pay a lower rate this year if 160 centimetres or less of snow accumulates. Any additional snow will mean an 85 per cent per centimetre increase in the rate.

Private property owners who depend on snow removal contractors can expect to be subjected to even higher rates. Because of soaring fuel costs over the past year, a 30 per cent increase for residential snow removal is expected, with additional charges if last winter's heavy snowfalls are repeated this year.