The Syracuse Common Council will again consider a $50 fine for some Syracuse residents who do not shovel the sidewalks in front of their property during its meeting next week.

Common Councilor Bob Dougherty sponsored a similar ordinance last year, but it failed in a 7-2 decision. This year Dougherty has instituted two major changes that he hopes will help the bill pass.

Under the new proposed legislation, residents will be issued a written warning and be given 24 hours to clear their sidewalks before receiving the fine. The proposed ordinance also only applies to major city streets or to streets near schools. If passed, the ordinance would be phased in over four years starting in the Southwest district of the city and adding one quadrant each year. Residents in the area surrounding Syracuse University would be the last to see the effects of the ordinance.

“A lot of this is about getting kids to school, this is what prompted me to do this in the beginning. I think that kids should be able to safely walk to school, along with all other pedestrians should be able to safely walk around during the winter,” Dougherty said.

Dougherty said he believes proper snow removal is an issue that still needs to be addressed. Safety is his No. 1 concern, he said, citing that people decide to walk in the streets when the sidewalks are covered in snow, and as a result endanger both themselves and drivers.

Meagan Alcorn, a senior biology major who rents an apartment on Ackerman Avenue said she supports the fine.

“It’s sometimes dangerous walking to school, because sometimes you have to walk in the road and there are cars going both ways,” Alcorn said. “If you don’t impose the fine then people won’t do it, and $50 isn’t that bad but it will make people shovel.”

Dougherty said part of owning a property whether you are a resident, landlord or business is accepting the responsibilities of maintaining that space. This includes mowing one’s grass, keeping the property in good condition and in this case, shoveling the sidewalk.

He said he also hopes this will cause commercial businesses to be more mindful when plowing-out their parking lot. When parking lots are cleared, plows often create large snow embankments on the sidewalks and on street corners, a fineable offense.

In 2013–14, Syracuse received 132 inches of snow, according to GoldenSnowball.com, a website that tracks snow accumulation in New York cities. The most snow Syracuse has accumulated in a single year over the past 10 years was in 2010–11 when it received 179 inches, according to the website.

Common Councilor At-Large Jean Kessner, who was undecided as of Monday night, said she appreciates how diligent Dougherty has been working on this issue and agrees that something needs to be done. But has one fundamental problem with the ordinance.

“My problem last year, this year and forever is going to be this: that the biggest sidewalk owner in the city is the city. If the city isn’t going to clear its sidewalks … If we aren’t going to do that, then how in the world could we fine others that don’t?” she said.

Kessner said to set an example it must start with the city, but noted that a financially-strapped Syracuse would be unable to take on a project of that size.

“Bob Dougherty is someone that has pursued this diligently, and I really appreciate that, and like he said at our meeting, ‘the snowiest city in the country, we have got to get a better grip on this,’ so how do you get people to do this?” Kessner said.

Dougherty added that if anyone had a real issue with fulfilling the requirements outlined by the ordinance to call him or the Common Council and those accommodations would be made.

Said Dougherty: “We are still going to have problems: with vacant houses, with some city property … nothing is ever going to be perfect, but in this case definitely something is better than nothing.”

Published on November 19, 2014 at 12:01 am

Contact Jacob: jagedets@syr.edu