EPHRATA — The Ephrata City Council on Wednesday unanimously approved an $18.6 million budget for 2017, a 13 percent increase over 2016.

However, most of that rise is the result in several major city projects — a major water line replacement and road repaving. Without those projects, the 2017 Ephrata budget is nearly the same as city 2016 budget, according to City Manager Wes Crago.

The city’s water and sewer fund accounts for 25 percent of the 2017 budget, at 73 percent increase over 2016, while the street fund is up 33 percent from 2016. All other funds remain largely unchanged from 2016.

The city also reviewed and approved its snow ordinance, something it has done since the early 1990s.

The ordinance specifies the city’s priorities in plowing, Crago said, with city snowplows and sanding trucks clearing the hillsides, followed by major arterials (which includes clearing the entrances to schools), then downtown, and finally, business and residential streets as needed and putting sand down as needed.

“Schools and hospitals always get plowed first,” Crago told the city council.

The city dispatches its four snow plows to clear the roads if more than 1 inch falls on major arterials and 2 inches or more falls elsewhere. Crago said the recent snow, which was tougher to handle because one of the city’s plows/sand trucks was out of service, cost about $5,500 to clear.

A typical 4-5 inch snowfall will cost the city about $10,000 to plow, sand, and clear.

According to Bill Sangster, the city’s public works director, crews were out at midnight to deal with the most recent snowfall, with most of the city’s street plowed by 8 a.m. However, given that snow had begun falling the previous afternoon, much of it was packed down and difficult to plow.

“You guys did an awesome job,” said City Council Member Mark Wanke. “Driving up those hills in a bus, it was nice to have sand down.”

It’s been several years since the region has had a hard winter or the kind of damp snow that packs down hard and freezes easy, Crago said, so he urged drivers to be careful — especially while the snow is still falling.

“Take it easy, go slow, and brake easy,” Crago said.

Charles H. Featherstone can be reached via email at countygvt@columbiabasinherald.com.