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City shifts downtown snow-removal to in-house crews; owners to be assessed only for sidewalks
Summary
Brainerd City is using parks crews to clear downtown sidewalks starting earlier in the morning; staff said property owners will be assessed only for sidewalk removal (city ~16%, private frontage ~84%), and a spring report will compare contractor versus city costs and include business feedback.
Brainerd City has changed its downtown snow-removal approach: parks crews now begin clearing sidewalks around 3:00 a.m. during snowfall events so sidewalks are cleared by business opening, and the city will assess downtown property owners only for sidewalk removal.
Public Works Director Havagor told the committee that parks crews’ usual hours were 7:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., but with downtown snow removal prioritized crews start earlier and overtime is coded to morning hours associated with snow removal. "After the parks crews complete downtown snow removal, they will move on to their normal winter duties," Havagor said.
Havagor explained assessment rules: the city accounts for roughly 16% of downtown frontage while private property frontage is about 84%. Streets will be assessed only when snow is removed before 9:00 a.m. on the same day as the event. Staff plans a spring report comparing third-party contractor costs from prior years with the city’s in-house cost, including time, equipment, overtime and business feedback.
Councilmembers asked how the city will solicit feedback (email, monthly luncheons and direct outreach were described) and whether parks staffing was able to meet other obligations; Havagor acknowledged a small drop in service for ice rinks and said some overtime was used to establish rinks but that downtown service was completed before businesses opened.
Staff said they will return in the spring with a cost and service-level report for the downtown special service district.
