Fiscal Note
No fiscal impact.
Title
Amending Section 10.28(1) of the Madison General Ordinances to discourage the use of salt for ice removal in very cold temperatures.
Body
DRAFTER'S ANALYSIS: The current ordinance requires property owners to remove snow and ice from their sidewalks and requires that if ice has formed in a way that cannot be removed, the owner must keep the sidewalk “sprinkled with sand, salt, or other suitable substance…to prevent the ice from being dangerous…” until the ice can be removed. This amendment removes the word “salt” as a suggested substance. The amendment does not prohibit the use of salt on sidewalks. Instead, the amendment removes recommending salt since salt may not be effective for providing traction in very cold weather.
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The Common Council of the City of Madison do hereby ordain as follows:
Subsection (1) of Section 10.28 entitled “Snow and Ice to be Removed From Sidewalks” of the Madison General Ordinances is amended to read as follows:
“10.28 SNOW AND ICE TO BE REMOVED FROM SIDEWALKS.
(1) The owner of each lot or part of lot shall remove all snow and ice upon the sidewalk abutting the premises which he or she owns not later than 12:00 noon of the day after the snow or ice has accumulated on the sidewalk, regardless of the source of accumulation. The owner of property abutting sidewalks on two intersecting streets shall remove all snow and ice from the sidewalks of both streets, including that portion of the sidewalks bordering the crosswalk, including the curb ramp, if any, regardless of the source of the snow accumulation.
Provided that when ice has so formed upon any sidewalk that it cannot be removed, then the owner shall keep the same effectively sprinkled with sand, salt or other suitable substance in such manner as to prevent the ice from being dangerous, until such time as it can be removed, and then it shall be promptly removed. Any person violating any of the provisions of this section shall be subject to a forfeiture of not less than twenty dollars ($20) nor more than fifty dollars ($50) for a first offense and not less than thirty dollars ($30) nor more than one hundred dollars ($100) for any subsequent offense. Each day any violation of this ordinance continues shall constitute a separate offense.”