City mulls snow removal policy

SANDPOINT — As the nights grow cold and snow falls in the mountains, the city's snow removal policy was a topic of discussion this week during a City Council workshop.

Ryan Luttmann, the city's public works director, said last winter the city had six full time employees available for removing snow, supplemented by a few employees who typically work on underground utilities. This year, he said, there has been some turnover, so three of the six employees are new. Though they do have snow removal experience, he said they do not have experience removing snow from Sandpoint streets. About half of the shop staff with underground utilities are new as well.

"So, it's important to look at our snow removal policy so that those new employees coming in have a policy that sets the expectations we have for snow removal, but also this is a partnership with our community," Luttmann said.

Typically, it takes the street crew at least eight hours to plow the streets, Luttmann said, and most of the snow removal is done by 6 a.m. One proposed amendment in the policy refers to when crews will be required to start removing snow. The policy currently states removal is to begin when the snowfall stops. If the updated policy is approved, removal will begin with a two- to four-inch accumulation.

Another proposed policy change gets rid the odd/even parking portion of the policy, which Luttmann said was difficult to enforce.

In the current policy, on odd numbered calendar days, parking is allowed on the side of the street with odd numbered addresses in residential zones, and vice versa for even numbers. Under the proposed changes, all parked vehicles on the streets must be cleaned of snow for visibility within 24 hours of a snow storm.

“As we get more and more snow events, it’s nice when you can see what that is,” Luttmann said, displaying a photo of a car barely visible in the snow.

Also, any snow berm around a vehicle must be cleaned up within 24 hours, or move the vehicle to an alternate location so city plows can move the snow to the curb line.

An “emergency snow declaration” section in the proposed policy would require residents to revert to the odd/even policy during such an event. If Luttmann or City Administrator Jennifer Stapleton were to declare a snow emergency, it would continue for a period of 48-hours from the time it is announced or until plowing operations are completed.

No proposed changes were made to the current policy regarding sidewalks, though it was a topic of discussion during the workshop. It is the responsibility of the property owner to maintain the sidewalk in front of their home or business, keeping it clear of snow and ice. Some pathways along city streets, however, may be maintained at the discretion of Luttmann or the street supervisor.

Mary Malone can be reached by email at mmalone@bonnercountydailybee.com and follow her on Twitter @MaryDailyBee.