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Northampton commissioners say snow-ordinance enforcement has been minimal; committee to review changes
Summary
At a Disability Commission meeting, Councilor Debs said the police reported no fines for uncleared sidewalks in the last five years and DPW staff said the city lacks sidewalk tractors; the issue will be referred to the Ordinance Review Committee and a work group is expected to develop options for enforcement and ordinance changes.
Councilor Debs told the Northampton Disability Commission that a city review found no civil fines issued under the city’s snow-removal ordinance in the past five years and that the Department of Public Works lacks the equipment it would need to take over routine sidewalk clearing.
The disclosure came during a Commission meeting where Debs summarized a March 24 special City Services meeting that included Chief of Police John Cartledge, DPW Director Donald Wascalia and City Attorney Alan Sewall. “It felt like as a disabled person that we’ve been… lied to for the past 5 years,” Debs said, describing the sense of betrayal when she learned no fines had been issued despite prior assurances that the ordinance was being enforced.
The meeting was convened to gather facts about how the city is implementing its snow ordinance and whether current practice makes the city compliant with Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act, which requires municipalities to keep sidewalks accessible. Debs said Cartledge reported that police have received roughly 78 calls about uncleared sidewalks in the last five years; those calls have resulted in verbal warnings and outreach cards but no monetary fines.
Director Wascalia told the council the city owns two sidewalk tractors, that one is currently inoperable and that each machine costs on the order of $250,000. He said that, to have the capacity to clear the city’s sidewalks without shifting the burden entirely to property owners, the DPW would need roughly 10 to 12 sidewalk tractors plus staff to operate them. The DPW has explored private contractors but has not found vendors available after recent storms.
Commissioners and attendees discussed two parallel strands of work: enforcing the ordinance as written, and considering language changes to make enforcement easier or to allow city-assisted programs for residents who cannot clear sidewalks themselves. Councilor Debs said Councilor Moulton suggested the matter be sent to the Ordinance Review Committee; Debs was later elected chair of that committee and expects the topic to go through public outreach, surveys and a multi-stakeholder process before any ordinance change is proposed.
Commissioners emphasized the difference between information-gathering and formal policy change. Debs and several commissioners urged continued public involvement and suggested forming a small working group that includes public commissioners and residents to draft options for both stronger enforcement and new models of shared responsibility between property owners and city services.
Next steps noted at the meeting included referral of the enforcement question to the Ordinance Review Committee, possible creation of a cross‑sector work group, and continued public discussion at future Commission meetings and City Council committees. The Commission did not adopt any ordinance language at the meeting.
