Storms putting pressure on overtime pay in Boston

Recent snowstorms have pummeled both the streets of Boston and the city's wallet. The high costs of plowing and street maintenance have forced nearby Somerville, Massachusetts, to nearly eclipse its annual budget - despite the calendar still reading "January." According to the Boston Globe, Somerville has chewed through nearly 90 percent of its annual $500,000 winter cleanup budget, including $122,000 in last week's storm alone.

Additionally, last Wednesday's storm forced the city to dole out $71,718 in overtime pay to city employees, and another $50,710 to contracted plowing employees. However, the city could be in a position regain nearly $20,000 of that money, after police ticketed and towed 196 cars in Somerville at $100 apiece, city spokeswoman Jackie Rossetti told the Globe.

Meanwhile, other city employees in Somerville are collecting huge sums of overtime pay. According to the Somerville Journal, patrolman James McNally - a community officer in Ward 2 within Boston - took home approximately $100,000 in overtime pay in 2010. McNally earned $182,973 for the year - a hefty income considering his $87,000 base salary.