Smithfield council tables sidewalk snow-removal ordinance after lengthy public hearing

The Smithfield Town Council held a lengthy public hearing April 15 on a proposed amendment to the town code that would require private property owners to clear snow from sidewalks and impose a daily fine for noncompliance. After more than an hour of public comment and council discussion, members voted to table the ordinance for further study.

Supporters said the rule would improve public safety and keep walkways clear for students and pedestrians. “We should come together as a community, help each other out,” said Andy Seshaw of Connors Farm, citing students and older neighbors who need safe walkways.

Opponents said the requirement would impose unreasonable burdens on residents with limited space to put plowed snow, on elderly homeowners and on people who travel during winter. Several residents said state plows and tight street designs leave no place to move snow. “I have a 72-foot run that I would have to shovel,” said a resident who described the job as effectively removing “24 cubic yards of snow” in a six-inch storm. Multiple speakers said a $100-per-day fine was punitive.

Zach Smith, who identified himself as a Smith Avenue resident, raised legal and jurisdictional questions: some sidewalks in Smithfield lie in state right-of-way, he said, and residents previously were told the state was responsible for maintenance. Others asked for exemptions for elderly or disabled residents and for more town support to help people who cannot clear sidewalks themselves.

Council members and staff signaled practical concerns about enforcement. The council president said the Public Works director indicated Public Works would be assigned enforcement responsibility and that the police department did not want that role. Several council members urged a collaborative approach, citing the town’s click-fix reporting system and the capacity of Public Works to respond to specific problem locations. “I’d much rather have [residents] report problems to Public Works than impose fines,” one council member said.

In response to the public’s concerns, council members discussed options such as setting a snowfall trigger (for example, do not require removal for small events), identifying sidewalks on main roads for town clearing, deploying town equipment where hand clearing is impossible and using community-service programs for labor. The council referred a range of suggestions back to staff and unanimously approved a motion to table the ordinance for further study and possible revision.

The council’s motion to hold the ordinance passed by voice vote; no roll-call tally was recorded in the transcript. The president closed the public hearing and said the council would take public comments and staff suggestions into account before returning a revised proposal to a future meeting.

The council also heard a separate public-comment session later in the evening in which residents raised related issues of sidewalk design, state-vs.-town responsibility and enforcement standards.