Sidewalk Snow Removal Laws - Nanny Governments Cause Heart Attacks (my title)

Quad Cities Times (Iowa) ^ | unknown | none

[pttttt]

Snow removal

Policies on sidewalk snow removal vary throughout the Quad-Cities.

Davenport and Bettendorf take an aggressive stance, to the point of clearing your walks and billing you for it if you don’t do it yourself.

Rock Island is just the opposite; although the city would like you to clear your walks, its legal department says sidewalks are on public property and homeowners can’t be forced to clear them.

Here is the rundown:

Davenport

Sidewalks must be cleared of ice and snow within 10 hours after the end of a snow greater than two inches. If not, the city can hire a contractor to clear your walks and assess the cost to you. City employees respond to complaints and personally monitor walks within a three-block radius of schools. For questions, call 326-7704.

Bettendorf

Sidewalks must be cleared within 48 hours after snow ceases. If not, property owners are sent a courtesy letter warning them that if the walks are not cleared within 24 hours of the time the letter was written, a contractor will clear the walk and the cost will be assessed to them. Priority is given to complaints, walks around schools and walks used by joggers, such as those along Tanglefoot Lane or Devils Glen Road. The minimum cost is $50 per hour. For questions, call 344-4055.

Moline

Sidewalks must be cleared of ice and snow within a reasonable time after a storm ends. Reasonable means within 12 hours, or if the storm stops during the night, within 12 hours after daylight. For questions, call 797-0475.

Rock Island

The city doesn’t have a policy on removal or enforcement. “Our legal department is of the opinion that we cannot force people to clean our property,” Bob Hawes, public works director, says. Since sidewalks are on public right-of-way, it is public property. For questions, call 793-3465.

East Moline

Sidewalks must be cleared of ice and snow within 24 hours after the snow stops falling. For questions, call 752-1573.

         

 

[pttttt]

Not just picking on the Quad Cities - these sidewalk snow removal laws seem to be a liberal fad nationwide. Some of them don't just charge for removal; they have daily accumulating fines.

So hey, liberals, what about the 80-year-old homeowner on a fixed income who might not have $50 in ready cash for shoveling the sidewalk? Or the disabled homeowner? This is one of the nastier liberal extortion ideas yet.

[AppyPappy]

Yup. Why do people elect morons who write these laws?

[TightSqueeze]

So hey, liberals, what about the 80-year-old homeowner on a fixed income who might not have $50 in ready cash for shoveling the sidewalk?

There are none left, they have all moved to Florida.

[HEY4QDEMS]

Boston fines you for three days and then if it is not cleared the city will do it but they don't send you a bill, they file a lein against your property.

[Jim Noble]

You must not have a lot of snow where you live.

We've had 100" since Christmas, and it is a necessity for people to clear their sidewalks to keep small kids out of the road.

[logic101.net]

The city takes care of the streets. The home-owner can take care of the sidewalk. He/she takes care of his/her driveway, right? The sidewalk isn't that much more. Heck; the real killer is the end of the driveway anyway (not the sidewalk), where the salted snow from the road piles up.

And no, I am NOT a liberal! Some personal responsibility is reqired!


MARK A SITY
http://www.logic101.net/

[buffyt]

The homeowner must clear the sidewalk within hours of the snowfall? Sheesh! My father-in-law is 83 and lives in Golden, Co., and we just spent a week at his house the week of Feb. 5. We had a blizzard on about the 7th. I didn't even want to go outside. It was too cold for me to go out in the garage. My husband went out and cleared the driveway. I can see how it could cause a heart attack with a man 83 years old!

[freeeee]

This issue comes down to one question: Are sidewalks public or private property? Does the city or the homeowner own the sidewalk?

Well, let's check:

Can the homeowner exercise private property rights on the sidewalk, such as:

Owning a deed to the sidewalk? No.

Forcing trespassers to leave the sidewalk? No.

Right to sell the sidewalk? No.

Establishing rules for the use of the sidewalk? No.

Right to build on the sidewalk? No.

So, we have established that the homeowner has absolutely no private property rights over the sidewalk. Yet, the homeowner is said to have legally binding responsibilities for something he doesn't own. (Responsibilities without rights) In effect, the city is compelling forced labor from the homeowner, in exchange for absolutely no compensation.

What difference does the proximity of a property to the homeowner's land make? None! These laws make the homeowner into the city's SLAVE. It doesn't matter how little or how much work is demanded from the homeowner, the fact that forced labor is coerced from him, no matter to what extent, is sufficient to establish this fact. You're either a slave or not, just like you're pregnant or not. There is no middle, no "slightly pregnant".

Essentially the city is saying it doesn't want the responsibility that comes with ownership of the property. Well then it needs to sell the sidewalk to the homeowner, and stop claiming the rights that come with the responsibility it shirked, by gunpoint no less.

[buffyt]

It is dangerous for my father-in-law to even walk outside when it is so slippery, he uses a cane, he is 83 and frail. One winter he fell and slid all the way down his driveway [it is steep] and didn't stop sliding until he was in the middle of the street below. I can't imagine forcing him to clear a sidewalk!

[buffyt]

They just passed a law in this town that stated that the CITY owns the sidewalks and property owners DO NOT. We are no longer able to put our trash bags, tree trimmings, on the sidewalk or touching it, and our cars cannot be parked where they obstruct a sidewalk. The city made it plain that we do not own the sidewalk or about ten feet of our yard on each side, it is utility easement.

[jim_trent]

Think this through for a moment.

Sidewalks are usually on public property. The City could shovel them. My City has about as many people as the quad-cities put together and it has 4,000 lane miles of roads. Sidewalks are probably 2/3 of that. Can you imagine how many people and how much equipment that would take to clean them. Naturally, it would be paid for by taxes. Do YOU want to pay those extra taxes?

Or, they can pass a law making the adjacent property owner responsible. True, it is an imposition.

Or, the City can do nothing and pay a multi-million dollar settlement when someone slips on the ice and sues. That has happened here.

Those are your choices. Which one do you support?

[freeeee]

The city takes care of the streets.

The city owns the streets.

The home-owner can take care of the sidewalk.

The homeowner doesn't own the sidewalk.

He/she takes care of his/her driveway, right?

The homeowner owns the driveway, not the sidewalk.

The sidewalk isn't that much more.

The homeowner doesn't own it. How much more additional work it entails is utterly irrevalent.

And no, I am NOT a liberal!

Maybe not, but your economic theory in this case is indistinguishable from socialism.

[Wolfie]

Had an 85 year old kick it while clearing snow locally this weekend. Don't know if he was subject to any laws, though.

[Thinkin' Gal]

It's just another method by which money-grubbing liberals force the elderly out onto the streets, literally. Either they collect the fine, or play "Dr. Kevorkian" on people who can't keep up. Win-win.

[Eala]

these sidewalk snow removal laws seem to be a liberal fad nationwide. Some of them don't just charge for removal; they have daily accumulating fines.

Real nice for the person who happens to be away.

[freeeee]

Sidewalks are usually on public property. The City could shovel them.

Rights come with responsibility. The city owns the sidewalk, it has rights over it, so it and it alone has the responsibility to maintain it.

Naturally, it would be paid for by taxes. Do YOU want to pay those extra taxes?

Government takes half of what we make in taxes, and amazingly doesn't have enough money to pay for the basic services it was created for. So now the choice isn't between funding something it should be doing or something it shouldn't. Now the choice is more taxes.

Governments do this every time they want a tax increase: zero fund the essentials, things that it was created to do, and they cry poor. Don't be fooled.

Or, they can pass a law making the adjacent property owner responsible. True, it is an imposition.

It's more than an imposition, its forced labor, and outright slavery.

Or, the City can do nothing and pay a multi-million dollar settlement when someone slips on the ice and sues. That has happened here.

"Use At Your Own Risk" (similar to the beach) signs and Tort reform will solve that.

Those are your choices. Which one do you support?

There are more possibilities: 1. Sell or give the sidewalk to the homeowner. 2. Cut the budget in one of the countless areas the city should never be funding to begin with, and use the money to fund the basic, essential services the city was created for.

[SamAdams76]

What whiners in this thread. Just put on a pair of boots when you go outside and slog through it. What's the big deal? It will all melt soon enough anyhow. Keep nanny government off our backs.

[DeathfromBelow]

or... Why not use the jailed labor force to clear sidewalks. Afterall they complain if we don't pay tax dollars to let them exercise. Then let's give them some exercise.

[DeathfromBelow]

Maryville, Missouri has an ordinance that your walk must be cleared by 9am after the snow quits. So if it quits snowing at 8:55a. and you don't have it done. Too bad.

I own all my sidewalks, They are on my property not the cities and they aren't part of the street easement. I shovel them when I want, and if i don't want company to trudge to my door to sell me something, I don't shovel 'em. Now that's freedom.

[alpowolf]

Government takes half of what we make in taxes, and amazingly doesn't have enough money to pay for the basic services it was created for. So now the choice isn't between funding something it should be doing or something it shouldn't. Now the choice is more taxes

What's even sadder is that the typical city doesn't have enough police to deal with murders, rapes, robberies, burglaries, etc. But they always have enough to enforce fines. Hmmm, I wonder why that is?