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Council discusses updates to sidewalk-clearing ordinance; debate over 24-hour compliance window
Summary
Staff presented a redline of a decades-old sidewalk-clearing ordinance; councilors debated whether the required clearance window after snowfall should be 24 hours or extended (36 hours) to accommodate residents' schedules and safety concerns.
The council reviewed proposed updates to the town’s sidewalk clearing ordinance, which staff presented as a redlined version of a decades-old rule. Staff said they had reviewed comparable ordinances from other Virginia jurisdictions, including Leesburg, and had tried to address concerns raised at prior meetings.
Council member Wright objected that the proposed 24-hour compliance period for clearing sidewalks after snowfall might be too short, asking to extend it to 36 hours to account for timing of snowfall and residents’ schedules. “I think that might be a little bit too tight,” Wright said, noting safety concerns with people clearing snow in the dark. Staff responded that 24 hours was a common benchmark in other local ordinances but that waiver and exception provisions were included to address special circumstances.
Council members directed staff to collect edits and return with a revised draft at the next meeting, and discussed mechanisms to exchange comments (via the town manager or mayor) without creating quorum/FOIA issues.
