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Yeadon council reviews snow-response lapses, proposes shorter cleanup window and stiffer enforcement
Summary
After a record snow event and widespread parking complaints, council members and staff proposed reducing required sidewalk-clearing time from 24 to 12 hours, discussed liens to recoup abatement costs and reaffirmed a temporary suspension of parking enforcement during the storm.
Yeadon Borough officials described a string of enforcement and logistics problems tied to a recent snow and ice storm and proposed tightening the borough's snow-removal rules to reduce future disruptions.
At the borough caucus meeting, code enforcement reported a sharp rise in violation notices tied to the storm. Lamont Collins said initial counts of mailed notices reached 156 before being reconciled to roughly 120; he told council the borough issued letters and citations across affected blocks.
Collins and Solicitor Kyle Miller previewed a proposed change to the borough's property-maintenance/snow-removal ordinance that would shorten the required sidewalk- and driveway-clearing window from 24 hours to 12 hours after a snowfall and give the borough authority to abate uncleared properties and file liens to recover costs. "We're reducing that to 12," Collins said while explaining the proposal to the council.
Council members debated how to treat large parcels and tax-exempt properties. Solicitor Miller noted the ordinance language can differentiate commercial and residential parcels and suggested the draft include provisions for linear footage or commercial/residential status to calibrate fees and enforcement.
Residents who spoke during the public forum described daily hardships tied to parking and unshoveled sidewalks. One resident, Ismael, told the meeting: "I have to be in the streets" and said he receives repeated parking tickets because his home has no driveway. Angela Lee urged the borough to study brining practices used by neighboring municipalities, improve timely website and alert communications and address dangerously icy sidewalks on Chester Avenue that left a parent struggling with a stroller.
Public Works and the mayor said the borough will debrief the storm response and consider contingency plans with neighboring municipalities, including reviewing brining strategies. The police chief confirmed parking enforcement was suspended while the snow emergency was in effect and said the mayor and chief agreed to extend that suspension for another week during the recovery period.
Next steps: the solicitor will circulate draft ordinance language for council review and possible advertisement; code staff will continue to reconcile violation data and identify parcels that may be subject to abatement or lien procedures.
