City considers review of its snow clearing service

Are Brantford residents willing to pay for the city to clear snow and ice from their sidewalks?

Residents will be asked to give their opinions through a winter operation service level review given initial approval by city councilors at an operations committee meeting on Tuesday. Final approval is required at a city council meeting later this month.

In a resolution he introduced at the meeting, Coun. Dan McCreary noted the city’s public works staff currently clears snow and ice from some municipal sidewalks and multi-use trails but clearing privately-owned sidewalks is the responsibility of the property owner.

But many of those privately-owned sidewalks “lack adequate winter maintenance to provide safe and efficient passage for the public.”

The resolution says residents “often voice concerns about the unsafe conditions of walking surfaces” and point out that sidewalk snow clearing is done by the municipality in other communities.

City staff will consider options for snow and ice clearing on sidewalks, multi-use trails, park trails and other walking surfaces and prepare a report that will come back to councilors by Aug. 31. The options will include costs and there will be campaign to gauge public interest.

“Of course, this is going to have a cost,” said McCreary. “We did have a look at this a number of years ago and the price tag was a bit of a sticker shock.

“But there is a concern in the community about safety. Perhaps what we might look at is simply a program to start with clearing sidewalks on commercial frontages.”

At the request of Coun. John Sless, the review will include staff taking a look at the city’s window program. A snow windrow is the pile of snow that’s left at the bottom of a driveway after a plow has cleared the road. The city attempts to clear windrows for specific residents, including those over age 65 and those with a disability or medical condition, within 24 hours of plowing the road.

Sless said he’d like to see if there’s a more “expeditious way of getting people out of their driveways in a more timely manner.”

“It’s no good two days later,” he said. “People need to get out to do groceries, run errands, go to doctor’s appointments.”

count. Rose Sicoli said “there’s no harm in knowing the numbers.”

“There’s value in asking residents if they’d want their sidewalks cleared if it’s going to cost X amount of dollars in property taxes.”

count. Brian VanTilborg said applying a general tax for sidewalk clearing would be a hard sell to those living in areas without sidewalks. He recommended city staff looking into options such as surcharges, a community volunteer system, or launching a pilot program in a particular area.

Mayor Kevin Davis said milder winters can make snow clearing more difficult when wet snow is combined with rain and overnight freezing – a weather situation experienced a couple of times this year.

Davis said the staff report will allow councilors to make a decision about whether to keep the snow clearing program the way it is or expand it, “realizing it will have an impact on everyone’s taxes.”