Planning board asks town board to rewrite grass‑and‑snow law after procedural concerns

The Grand Island Planning Board moved to separate the grass‑and‑snow removal provisions from a broader ordinance and subsequently voted to ask the town board to reject the current grass/snow law and rewrite it to address enforcement, liability and financial concerns.

Members expressed concern that the law, as drafted, allowed building‑department staff to enter private property, imposed liens that would shift enforcement costs to taxpayers, and risked exposing property owners to contractor liability. Several members asked that the lien clause be removed or clarified and that administrative costs and a town markup be realistically estimated; one member suggested a markup in the $750–$1,000 range to cover municipal overhead.

The board approved a motion to separate the grass/snow provisions for focused revision and later approved a motion requesting the town board reject the current draft and return a revised version addressing the planning board’s process and enforcement concerns. The planning board will provide comments and suggested edits to town counsel.