Some Council members want Cincinnati to get better at cleaning its sidewalks after heavy snow.
The Climate, City Services and Infrastructure Committee Wednesday passed a motion asking city administration to report on how it can encourage people to shovel the sidewalks around their property.
Council member Seth Walsh introduced the motion. He said the measure isn't about raising fines or fees for property owners. He noted he understands not everyone can shovel their sidewalk every time it snows, especially people with disabilities or the elderly. But there are property owners who seemingly never shovel.
"It's one thing to have issues, to not be able to get to it, to be out of town," he says. "But the consistency of it — we know who these people are who we need to be working on. Including ourselves."
Cincinnati Municipal Code has required property owners to shovel the sidewalks outside their properties in a timely manner since 1972. Those who fail to do so can be issued a $25 fine. The city has used that option only one time since then, Walsh says.
Council member Mark Jeffreys says lack of sidewalk shoveling is a safety issue because it forces people to walk in the streets and presents big difficulties for those with disabilities. Like Walsh, he says the city should set a better example itself.
"As an example, going over the Ludlow Viaduct from Clifton to Northside, that's a sidewalk that's owned by the city and we didn't maintain it," he said. "That's a frustration of a lot of folks. Before we go after private owners, we need to take care of our own shop. I hope that in the report we can outline what improvements we need to make. Like, do we need to get more snowblowers for our own sidewalks?"
Cincinnati City Manager Sheryl Long's office sent roughly 200 letters late last month to property owners who didn't shovel their sidewalks. Those were just warnings, however, and didn't come with a fine.
Walsh noted he wanted ideas from city administration about how to incentivize property owners who don't shovel.
"There are people who just wait until the weather warms up to clear their sidewalk," he said. "That's not acceptable."
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