ST. MARYS — Changes to the city’s snow and ice removal ordinance have been approved by the St. Marys City Council, even though there isn’t a strong enforcement aspect to it just yet.
During Monday’s St. Marys City Council meeting, Councilman Ned Jacob said even with the changes to the city’s ordinance covering the removal of snow and ice from sidewalks, there still is no “teeth” to it. It still says a letter will be sent to the property owner who has 30 days to respond, but in that time the snow will melt, he said.
City Manager Tim Pearson said they are hoping to be able to “ticket” people for not clearing their sidewalks within 12 hours of a snowstorm, or after being contacted by a city representative in the future. First, the ordinance itself had to be cleaned up, and later the council will be able to vote on a separate ordinance that would allow the city to “ticket” people who do not comply with the rules, he said.
The Municipal Claim Process, currently used, still requires the city to do the work themselves first and then charge the homeowner later, but during a snowstorm city employees are busy with other work, solicitor Tom Wagner said. This creates a manpower issue, which is why the city is considering creating an ordinance that would allow property owners to receive a ticket/fine for not following the ordinance.
Jacob said he is concerned with both types of enforcement. He questioned if the city would ticket 1,200 residents for not clearing their sidewalks in time. The current method doesn’t work either because it takes too long and costs too much so the city doesn’t use it, he said. Manpower, not money, is the issue, Wagner said. The city can charge for filing fees etc., but it doesn’t have enough people to do the work.
The city does put liens on properties in some cases, but the problem is the lawns that aren’t being mowed or sidewalks that aren’t shoveled are typically at homes where no one is living. The properties are often in foreclosure, in which case the city can sometimes recoup the money, but sometimes they go to a judicial sale and all of the liens on the property are removed by the county, Pearson said.
The council unanimously approved the ordinance.
The council also approved the outdoor fires and curbside recycling ordinances. The two ordinances were reviewed to make sure they didn’t contradict each other. Pearson said the city would advertise what is in the ordinance so residents know what items they may and may not burn.
The next St. Marys City Council meeting will be held at 7 p.m. May 1.
