Q Is there a city ordinance governing snow and ice removal from sidewalks? Business owners say they want to attract shoppers downtown, though some of them obviously made no attempt to clear their sidewalks.
A The city code, Section 24-8, governs removal of snow, ice and dirt from business and residential sidewalks, according to Blaise Plummer, city attorney. The ordinance was added in 1962 and amended in 1977.
“...(T)hey are required to cause to be removed from the sidewalk all snow and ice within five hours of the time snow has fallen and ice has accumulated,” Plummer said.
If that precipitation occurs overnight, removal must be made within five hours of sunrise, he said.
The penalty can be a $50 fine, or the city can “cause the snow or ice to be removed and to assess that amount against the property to be collected against property taxes.”
Plummer said that the city responds to complaints received about violations. So far this year, three complaints have come in; only one of them was signed.
The property owner was notified of the violation, provided a copy of the ordinance, and requested to remove the ice and snow, he said.
Plummer said that this year’s ice and snow accumulation has been unusual.
“This is the only time I remember day-after-day of subfreezing temperatures after a snow and icefall,” he said. “Under normal conditions, as I’ve come to know them here in Emporia, normally things will break up and melt after 24 to 48 hours, so this usually doesn’t become a problem.”
Sending out code enforcement employees would be a last resort.
“We like to encourage people to do it themselves,” Plummer said.
mythoughts (anonymous) says...
It doesn't help when they just scrape it into the gutter, making a huge mound to leap over before you can even get to the sidewalk. I've seen people walk IN the street (Commercial) in order to find a place where they can reasonably access the sidewalk. Good to know who to call now that the worst of it is over...
February 19, 2007 at 3:55 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )