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Utica postpones snow, ice and rubbish ordinance rewrite after council raises enforcement and timing concerns
Summary
Council deferred a vote on proposed changes to the snow/ice ordinance (Section 62-7) to allow city attorney and planning to refine timing windows (concern about 12- vs. 24-hour removal), clarify salting/ice language, and ensure clear publication before adoption.
Proposed revisions to Utica’s snow, ice and rubbish ordinance (Section 62-7) were discussed at length on Nov. 11. The draft seeks to provide clearer removal timeframes and remove vague language such as "4 to 6 or more inches," but councilors and residents raised concerns that the proposed schedule could impose impractical obligations on working residents if removal windows are shortened without consideration of work schedules.
Council members urged the city attorney to prepare revised language that: restores a practical removal window (several members advocated reverting to a 24-hour rule), clarifies that snow and ice removal obligations apply to sidewalks adjacent to property, notes how ice control (salting) is expected to be handled, and addresses how commercial properties and private snow-removal contractors are considered. Planning staff recommended the motion be directed to the city attorney for precise drafting and then returned to council.
On a motion to postpone consideration until the December meeting so the city attorney and staff could incorporate planning recommendations and prepare a publishable ordinance, the council voted to postpone.
