Urbana Mayor Wants Snow Removal Ordinance

Urbana Mayor Laurel Prussing hopes to have a snow removal ordinance in place well before next winter.

And the initial plans call for something more stringent than what's on the books in Champaign, which covers only downtown and Campustown areas.

The current proposal for Urbana would cover sidewalks throughout the city. The draft going out to neighborhood associations for input would also give property owners 24 hours to shovel sidewalks, as opposed to 48, as the ordinance states in Champaign. Prussing will also give the draft to city council members on Monday. She says the proposal was developed with pedestrians in mind, specifically kids walking to school and mail carriers.

"It's a danger for pedestrians to have to walk in the street and get hit by a car," said Prussing. "My neighbor came to testify to the Urbana City Council, because she slipped and fell and got a concussion. So every time there are slippery sidewalks, I think you see a lot of people coming to emergency rooms for injuries."

Prussing says the draft ordinance was patterned after what other Big Ten communities are using. It doesn't suggest a specific penalty for those who don't comply. The city of Champaign bills property owners for the work, plus a $100 fee. Prussing says just appealing to residents just isn't enough.

"We tried the voluntary approach, and that did get more people to clear their walks," she said. "But it still is difficult, because you go down a block and maybe three people have their sidewalks cleared and two people don't. And it just makes it difficult to get around."

Prussing says the idea now is to get people talking, and exchange ideas. She hopes to have an ordinance in place by September.