Committee backs higher fines, unchanged per-day structure for sidewalk snow removal

The Salem City Council Committee on Public Health, Safety, and Environment on June 2 voted to send to the full council a recommendation to increase fines for failure to remove snow and ice from sidewalks, while retaining the ordinance’s per‑day enforcement structure.

Chair Cohen told the committee the solicitor advised using Chapter 40U as the legal authority for the change; that citation constrains how the city can structure fines and prevents the ordinance from distinguishing between residential and commercial properties for the scheduled increase.

The building commissioner told the committee the department intends to proactively prioritize removals at schools, busy intersections and parks and to pursue habitual noncompliers; the commissioner also said existing violations are assessed on a per‑day basis, which staff believe has been insufficiently discouraging because the fine level was lower than the cumulative cost of removal for some property owners.

Councilors asked about timing. Staff said the ordinance’s timing requirement remains: sidewalks must be cleared within six hours after snow ceases to fall or by 12 noon for overnight storms — whichever is later. Committee members discussed sensitivity for residents with mobility challenges and requested a community support option; the chair said he will pursue informal volunteer or outreach solutions (for example, student groups or volunteer teams) though such a program was not part of the ordinance text.

The committee voted to forward the amended ordinance to the full council with a positive recommendation. Councilors noted enforcement discretion and the need for outreach to residents who genuinely cannot shovel, and staff said the building department will exercise sensitivity while focusing enforcement on repeat offenders.