Harlan City advances snow‑emergency fine change as resident urges gentler enforcement

Harlan City Council advanced Ordinance 202506 on Dec. 2, 2025, moving the amendment to a third reading after council members said the ordinance’s text remains unchanged and only the fine amount was revised.

The vote to take the ordinance forward came after brief council discussion about whether to waive further readings. Council members said the ordinance itself was unchanged except for the new fine level; the council held a roll-call vote to record support and moved the item to a subsequent meeting for final action.

Longtime Harlan resident Mike Christensen used the public‑comment period to criticize the way the snow‑emergency rule was enforced. “It cost me $350 cuz I was at work. I don't have Facebook, so I didn't get the notification,” Christensen said, urging the city to give residents more notice — for example a push‑notification or text message 24 hours in advance — and a short grace period to move vehicles before towing is enforced.

Council members and staff replied that county emergency-management systems had sent both text messages and automated phone calls for the most recent event. Meeting participants also pointed residents toward registering for the county’s alert system or downloading Smart911 to receive localized emergency notifications.

The ordinance was described during the meeting as a change only to the dollar amount of the fine; the council did not alter the substantive prohibition language on snow‑emergency violations. The council did not take final adoption action at the Dec. 2 meeting; the item was advanced for a third reading at a future meeting.

Next steps: the council scheduled a further reading of Ordinance 202506; no final adoption or effective date was announced at the Dec. 2 meeting.