City Council Announcements
December 8, 2009
A. Information Needed by Council Staff
1. Attached is the updated schedule of 2010 Council Meeting dates.
Does the Council approve the updated 2010 meeting schedule?
Ms. Gust-Jenson said she needed to review the schedule to ensure the changes expressed by the Council were included.
B. For Your Information
1. Potential Amendments to Snow Removal Ordinance
At the December 1 City Council Meeting, Council Members directed City Council staff to provide potential options to amending the civil penalties section of the City’s snow-removal ordinance. Council staff has attached a table of options for City Council consideration.
Under the current ordinance, 14.20.110 Snow, Ice Removal Penalty, the civil penalty for failing to remove snow from sidewalks is $25 if paid within 15 days; $50 if paid within 25 days; and $75 if paid after 25 days. Each day a sidewalk remains uncleared is counted as a separate civil offense.
The options are based on increasing the maximum current penalty by various degrees for failing to remove snow from sidewalks and making allowance for prompt payment of the penalties.
Ms. Gust-Jenson said Russell Weeks had prepared some potential “fine” options which were attached. She said after staff received feedback from the Council an ordinance could then be drafted and would then be available for public comment.
Councilmember Christensen said after listening to the discussion, he felt there was some openness to fines and asked the subcommittee to see if they could refine this a little bit more and come back to the Council with a proposal which contained some sensitivity to institutional/churches.