Tolleson Banner, a member of the public, used the Jan. 28 Prince George's County Council meeting’s public-comment slot to press the council on snow-removal weaknesses following recent storms.

Banner asked what actions the council and county agencies will take to fix identified problems, particularly poor interagency and resident communication, and whether the council will require performance-based metrics for the Department of Public Works & Transportation (DPW&T). He asked when procurement of needed equipment would occur, and when the county would acquire reliable software after staff said its system had failed to provide real-time data during the last storm. Banner also said the chemicals used to treat roads underperformed in subfreezing temperatures and asked whether future chemical choices would be tied to real-time weather monitoring.

“Finally, will the council consider legislation that reimburses county residents who hire private snow removal companies to clear their streets? It could be known as the taxpayer plowback,” Banner said.

Chair Ivy and other council members indicated they expected DPW&T to produce materials and responses from the snow briefing. A county official who identified themselves as DCA Holt told the council they had spoken with Director Michael Johnson and that Johnson was preparing the requested responses and materials; Holt said the chair and vice chair should receive the information by the end of the week and that the materials would be posted to the county website.

The council recorded no vote or formal directive on the snow-removal comments at the Jan. 28 session. Council staff said they would make the DPW&T responses available to the public when complete.