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Committee updates sidewalk rules, enforcement and fines; deletes obsolete sidewalk-sales provision
Summary
The committee changed Chapter 21 language to 'commissioner of public services,' reassigned enforcement authority to the police and inspection services division, revised fines in Appendix D (recommended second offense $50, subsequent $100), deleted an obsolete 'selling articles' section and amended signage rules to exempt temporary festival decorations.
The committee approved a package of edits to Chapter 21 (Streets and Sidewalks) during its Jan. 25 review of the city code.
On a motion to update job-title references, members changed all references from "commissioner of public works" to "commissioner of public services" throughout Chapter 21 to reflect current department terminology. The committee also revised enforcement language: a paragraph was amended so that the chief of police (or designee) and the inspection services division — not the director of public works — may assess fines for sidewalk violations.
Chief Bailey recommended changes to Appendix D fine amounts in section 21-25: the committee recorded a plan of first offense as a written warning, second offense $50 and subsequent offenses $100 (the prior documentation had ambiguous duplicate 'subsequent' entries and listed lower values). Members agreed to standardize the language to avoid confusion.
The committee considered sidewalk use rules for bicycles, skateboards and emergent devices (e-bikes). Members noted safety trade-offs in hilly neighborhoods and acknowledged a separate council ordinance under development (sponsored by a councilor) that will address e-bikes and carve out safety exceptions; they referred detailed drafting questions back to General Code and postponed final edits until that committee work is completed.
The committee also voted to delete section 21-28 ("selling articles in streets and sidewalks") after concluding the section was obsolete (it cited "newsboys" and appears to predate contemporary sidewalk-vendor practice). The following section was renumbered. Finally, the panel amended signage language to clarify the prohibition on permanent structures that extend over sidewalks while allowing temporary decorative devices for festivals or special events.
Next steps: staff will update Appendix D and Chapter 21 language per committee direction, confirm the new enforcement wording with the police and inspection services division, and return revised ordinance text for review; several items will also be checked by General Code and the city solicitor.
