Seymour discussion centers on stricter sidewalk snow-removal rules, tiered timeframes and fines

John McKenzie presented a redlined draft of a sidewalk snow-removal ordinance to the town meeting, recommending timeframes tied to storm severity and a structured enforcement process. "I had drafted a suggested change to sidewalks with respect to snow removal and also for the growing season with grass and weeds," McKenzie said, explaining the draft’s tiered approach to clearing requirements.

The draft proposes stepped timeframes based on storm severity — examples mentioned during the discussion included benchmarks of up to 12 inches (24 hours), up to 24 inches (48 hours) and larger storms (72 hours). Council members debated both the length of those timeframes and the mechanism for determining when the enforcement clock begins. McKenzie noted the draft ties the start of the clock to the "cessation of said storm."

Councilors also discussed enforcement and penalties. Under the current ordinance members noted that the fine is $100 and is enforced as an infraction issued by the police department; the draft under consideration discussed a higher fine (referred to in the meeting as $250) plus recovery of town removal costs if the municipality clears the sidewalk. "If I was to go out and had to shovel that heavy snow in a sidewalk, I would say to myself, $100 to have the town do it is worth it," one member said, while others pushed for a structure that would match timeframes to storm severity.

Members raised practical concerns about enforcement, including when a complaint triggers warnings, how to determine when the time clock starts, and how plow activity can re-deposit snow onto previously cleared sidewalks. McKenzie said warnings would be complaint-driven and that the redline includes language defining when the clock starts; councilors asked for clearer, written language.

The council discussed a hardship provision so residents who are hospitalized or otherwise unable to clear sidewalks could seek relief. One member recommended a hardship appeal to the board of selectpersons (or the first selectwoman) while others suggested hardship could be considered at the warning stage before charging removal costs.

Councilors also discussed operational constraints: public works staffing, a continuing shortage of certain road salt supplies, and the town’s current contract for a "magic salt" mix that limits available materials. McKenzie said some neighborhoods had many unshoveled sidewalks after the recent storms and offered a visual tally of roughly 20 residential homes that had not cleared sidewalks in the most recent storm.

Rather than resolve the ordinance at the meeting, members asked McKenzie to recast the draft with clearer timing triggers, a defined hardship clause, and explicit language on fines and cost recovery. The item will return to the council for further consideration at the next scheduled meeting.