Edmonton city councillors are asking for better snow clearing next winter and that's likely to cost significantly more than the $57 million the city operations department spent this past season.

At a committee meeting Monday, city councillors agreed they want to see a detailed breakdown of the costs to improve service in several areas and increase enforcement of parking bans and sidewalk clearing.

City managers say they used 57 per cent of their equipment in the 2021-22 season, citing a lack of money to pay for staff to operate the trucks.

Coun. Tim Cartmell put forward a preliminary motion for administration to look at adding enough money to make use of all existing equipment.

"Let's see what we can do when we activate all of the equipment we own, and that tells us what we're capable of," Cartmell said Monday.

In a report released earlier this month, city operations recommends two main options to increase the snow and ice control budget: one by $42 million to enhance service on roads and active pathways.

That would let them hire sufficient staff to operate the existing equipment to clear priority roads, bus stops, sidewalks and shared-use paths for a 70 per cent increase in efficiency.

The other option would cost $106 million to clear roads to bare pavement, for arterial roads that would be within 36 hours.

The report showed crews accomplished this target for arterial roads 76 per cent of the time in the past season.

Councillors added to the list of budget breakdowns, directing city operations to analyze the cost for the city to clear sidewalks at seniors residences, public squares and paved pathways in parks and playgrounds.

Some want to see a full cost breakdown to complete residential blading, including culs-de-sac, to bare pavement and removal of windrows once a winter season.

Coun. Andrew Knack supports blading to bare pavement and getting rid of windrows, based on feedback from constituents.

"The amount of complaints you got on windrows this year pretty much match what I got in my entire first term on council," Knack said.

Cartmell said it's unrealistic for the city to aim to reach bare pavement in residential areas all winter.

"There may be some blading that needs to be done in the spring thaw or in those break ups," he said.

Cartmell said making neighbourhoods easier to walk around with more focused work on pathways would be useful.

"But picking up every speck of snow on every speck of asphalt in Edmonton and expecting that to be our standard — I just think that's way over the top."

Since 2017, the snow clearing budget has gone down nearly 15 per cent even as the city added 21 per cent more roads and paths.

Craig McKeown, manager of Parks and Roads Services, noted the effects the drop in budget has had on the service levels.

"Expectations have increased but the resources required to maintain those service levels across a growing city just haven't kept pace."

McKeown and his team will compile more specific budget analysis and report back to council in June.

Mayor Amarjeet Sohi showed concern about a possible property tax hike after years of small or no tax increases.

"What I'm struggling with is that all of a sudden, in order to meet those standards, to live up to people's expectations, we're looking at two and a half per cent or more tax levy, which is not fair to this council," Sohi said to city administration.

Coun. Aaron Paquette said it's time to be clear on how much proper snow clearing costs.

"There is the public service demand but then there's the actual physical cost of operating and delivering on those expectations."