Glendale Heights trustees discuss sidewalk snow removal, cite liability and enforcement challenges
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Summary
Trustees debated whether the village should require residents to clear sidewalks after snow, with legal counsel noting potential liability differences between unshoveled sidewalks and those a resident clears; board proposed nonregulatory supports such as vetted vendor lists and volunteer phone trees instead of immediate ordinance action.
Trustees and staff in the Committee of the Whole spent significant time Thursday discussing sidewalk snow removal after residents raised safety concerns, particularly for children walking to school.
"My main concern is, when you have snow on your sidewalk where the kids will walk, obviously, the kids are gonna walk on the streets, and it's a safety issue," Trustee Siddiqui said during the discussion on possible ordinance options. He asked the board to consider pros and cons of creating a requirement to clear sidewalks.
Village counsel and staff cautioned that state law and case law complicate enforcement and potential liability. "The last time I looked at it, it may actually bring liability up for the homeowner that shovels the sidewalk," a village lawyer said, explaining that in some cases making an unnatural cleared surface (and not maintaining it) can expose a homeowner to claims.
Trustees noted enforcement would create resource demands for police or community-development staff and that some sidewalks in the village are under county jurisdiction, limiting village authority. Members discussed alternative, nonpunitive approaches: compiling a vetted list of local snow-removal vendors for seniors, building a volunteer phone tree to connect residents with helpers, and reaching out to school districts or service clubs for assistance with seniors and children.
Public commenters asked the village to use new website alerting and phone notifications to warn residents when snow thresholds are met and to provide follow-up notices when streets are cleared. Village staff said they would explore operational ideas and potential programs but did not propose immediate ordinance language; no ordinance was adopted at the meeting.
