Residents Speak, City Takes Over Sidewalk Snow Removal
by Trinity Gruenberg
The Verndale City Council held their regular meeting on Monday, September 14.
Sidewalk Snow Removal
The Verndale City Council spent much time discussing a citizen petition that asked for the city to take over the responsibility of removing snow and ice from sidewalks, instead of having property owners do it.
This idea relates to ordinance 93.02. The streets committee had already talked about possible compromises, like extending the current deadline for cleanup from 24 hours to 36 hours and lowering fees. However, the council decided to first vote on the main request of the petition: that the city should be responsible for clearing all sidewalks in town.
Residents gathered over 200 signatures to support the idea, stating they don’t want the burden or risk of snow removal. Council members considered new risks, the insurance requirements that would arise if the city took on this duty, and the uncertainty of costs, which can change a lot depending on snowfall.
After some divided opinions, the council ultimately decided to let the city handle sidewalk snow removal on a trial basis for one year in a 3-2 vote with Ludovissie and Cottrell opposed. They agreed to review the costs, workload, and any legal or safety issues at the end of the season before making a final decision on whether to make this change permanent...
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