It'a always difficult to budget for things like equipment repair and parts because prices change during the budget year, and some years you will have more or less expense than anticipated. Other costs are easier to control like printing and publishing traffic signs. We only evaluate those costs annually. If we did it more often than that, we'd never have a budget to work with and the workers trying to stay within the budget would have no figures to work with. As you can see from the budget, all costs have risen at least by the rate of inflation each year.
Weather is hard on our equipment.
When the winds are high and we get a lot of ice buildup, repair and replacement costs are higher than anticipated. Also traffic accidents can have a big impact on the budget. Some years accidents that damage traffic lights is much higher than other years. That is one reason we try and contract with as many of our vendors as possible. Some benefits that occurred could be learning how to swim, getting together with friends for a fun activity, parents having a dsafe place to send their children, or a sense of the community providing a needed service.