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Residents warn equity and safety risks as council considers cutting sidewalk snow removal overtime
Summary
Councilors opened discussion of proposed overtime cuts to sidewalk snow removal in the budget; residents and some councilors urged the town to retain service on heavily used lakefront sidewalks citing elderly users and safety concerns.
Councilors discussed a board-of-finance recommendation to remove overtime funding for sidewalk snow removal as part of budget reductions, and the council used the item to begin a broader conversation about scope, exceptions and liability. Staff said the town currently clears about nine miles of sidewalks and estimated there may be an additional 15 miles left for private maintenance; the map of sidewalks will be used to target any changes.
Several residents and councilors said the lakefront sidewalks and areas near the cemetery are narrow, heavily used by walkers and elderly residents, and present special safety and access issues. "I am not in favor of the town stopping the snow removal of the sidewalks... The sidewalk is narrow... I would hate to think that I have to go out there to shovel snow and get hit by a car," Donna Benito said during public comment. Others urged the council to map the sidewalks before making decisions and to consider exceptions or user fees for special areas. Council members asked public works to produce a sidewalk map and identify locations where resident clearing would be impractical.
