Lawrence council presses DPW, police after major snowstorm; officials report 2,553 tickets and 611 tows
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Summary
City officials told the council that targeted enforcement after the mayor's snow emergency produced 2,553 parking citations and 611 tows; councilors raised concerns about communication, contractor supervision, equipment and unequal service across neighborhoods.
The Lawrence City Council spent much of its meeting on a post-storm review Tuesday after a winter "superstorm" left neighborhoods buried and frustrated residents demanding answers.
Director of Public Works Jorge Jaime told the council the department has deployed "about 107 pieces of equipment, including 15 sanders," and has run night operations to keep major routes open. "So we start operations midnight every night," Jaime said, describing a strategy of clearing one side of a street at night and returning to "push back" the other side the next day.
Captain Jay Cirello of the Lawrence Police Department gave enforcement figures: "2,553 tickets" were issued during the operation and "up until today, 611" vehicles had been towed, he said. Cirello described a phased approach: warnings, targeted ticketing and then towing on priority streets once posted.
Councilors pressed for more detail and quicker communication. Councilor Rosario said the operation "was a failure starting Saturday" and urged clearer advance enforcement to establish credibility with residents. Jaime responded that this was a multiagency response involving contractors, traffic control and police, and that the scale of snowfall and the number of parked cars limited what crews could accomplish overnight.
Other councilors sought concrete remedies: better contractor supervision, a roster of certified CDL drivers, a plan for sidewalk clearing, clearer advance notices for residents and stronger enforcement of commercial-vehicle parking rules. Councilor LePlante asked whether the city can require contractors to lower plows when clearing residential streets; Jaime said some private contractors operate differently and that the administration will follow up with contractual enforcement and additional training.
Councilors and the administration agreed to continue operations until the most streets are passable, to review the winter-parking ordinance, and to send pending items to committee for potential ordinance changes. Director Jaime promised follow-up reports and asked the council to work with the administration on clearer neighborhood notification systems.
The council closed the discussion by requesting a post-operation summary from DPW and LPD, including final counts and a review of contractor performance.
What happens next: Councilor Infante formally requested that DPW and the police provide a written summary of work and all final operational numbers when the cleanup is complete; the administration agreed to return a report to the council.
