Mayor Sean Ryan announced Buffalo’s 2026–2027 Winter Snow Plan on Oct. 22, increasing funding for contracted snow removal and adding new equipment and technology aimed at improving service on narrow residential streets.
The city budgeted $2.7 million for contracted snow removal — an increase of $2.12 million from the $580,000 listed in last year’s plan — to pay for additional front-end loaders and dump trucks to haul away snow when plows cannot clear heavy accumulations.
Under the plan, the city purchased five smaller John Deere tractors to be fitted with large snow blowers for some of Buffalo’s narrowest side streets, where traditional plows have trouble maneuvering. The plan also includes an upgraded GPS-based mapping system for city staff and a public map that will show when snow-clearing services were last recorded on individual streets with lane-by-lane details.
Other measures in the plan include two salt purchase agreements to procure a minimum of 25,000 tons of salt (the city is pursuing a third agreement), additional Parking Department personnel and tow trucks to address vehicles blocking plow routes, and winter maintenance of protected bike lanes and off-street bike paths following residential plowing. The Engineering Division will outfit pickup trucks and smaller vehicles with plows to support bike-lane clearing.
“Buffalo residents deserve reliable service on their streets, and being better prepared for winter is a big part of fixing the basics,” Mayor Ryan said. “We are putting more resources behind snow removal and investing in equipment tailored to our city’s needs. We are also giving our crews the tools and resources they need to work more efficiently. These are practical improvements to help people get where they need to go and keep our neighborhoods accessible when winter weather arrives.”
The plan formalizes earlier coordination during storms, including daily operational briefings and situation reports, allows the Emergency Operations Center to activate before a formal emergency declaration, and adds University at Albany Mesonet forecasting information to support preparations.
“Responding to winter weather is one of the most important things we do as a City Government,” said Public Works Commissioner Nolan Skipper. “This plan showcases the huge amount of work our entire team has done over the past year to ensure we’re prepared to keep Buffalo residents safe this winter season.”
The city is also rebuilding its plow fleet, with 10 new vehicles on order and six that could be available during the latter half of the winter season. The plan cites a longer-term goal of maintaining an operational fleet of 34 dual-axle trucks on a five-year replacement cycle.
Crews will continue to prioritize primary and secondary streets, including bus routes and access to emergency facilities, before shifting to residential streets. The plan maintains a goal of completing at least one plow pass on every residential street within 24 hours after a snow event ends, while noting that continuing snowfall, extreme conditions and vehicles blocking streets can affect that timeline.
City officials said public information will be shared through BUFFALERT, local media and City communication channels, and that the plan calls for coordination with Erie County’s Community Organizations Active in Disaster network to help reach immigrant and non-English-speaking communities.
The full 2026–2027 City of Buffalo Winter Snow Plan is available on the City of Buffalo website.
