One week before winter officially ended, the Oxford Village Council adopted an amended version of its snow and ice removal ordinance that gives folks more time to shovel, allows for one warning per season and lowers the fines for violators.

“I don’t think it’s perfect, but it’s better than anything else I’ve ever seen in the Village of Oxford,” said Councilman Dave Bailey.

Council voted 4-1 to approve the new ordinance language at its March 12 meeting. This version repeals and replaces the ordinance adopted in September 2018. It takes effect on March 27.

Councilwoman Maureen Helmuth cast the lone dissenting vote.

“I like the ordinance as it is,” she said.

Helmuth believes the previous ordinance was effective.

“I think this is the best our sidewalks have looked in years,” she said. “There were sidewalks shoveled that I’ve never seen shoveled.”

Village President Joe Frost noted although he “voted for the original ordinance,” he favors the new version because it provides “more flexibility” when it comes to enforcement.

“Sometimes a carrot is better than a stick,” he said.

Under the new ordinance, village residents and property owners would be given more time to clear their sidewalks. It states that “naturally falling” snow or ice must be removed “by 7 p.m. the following day” after it ceases to fall or accumulate, regardless of whether that happens during the day or at night.

The previous ordinance required snow and ice removal “within 12 hours” after if it ceased to fall or accumulate “during daylight hours.” If it stopped “during the nighttime,” it had to be removed “by 7 p.m. the following day.”

Folks who violate the new ordinance will not be ticketed initially. Each property will be “eligible to receive one warning per snow season,” which is defined as the period between Oct. 1 and March 31.

Civil fines for those who violate the new ordinance are $25 for a first offense, $50 for a second offense and $75 for additional offenses “in any snow season.”

“Each day that a violation continues shall be deemed an additional and distinct violation,” the new ordinance states.

These penalties are significantly lower than they were before. Under the previous ordinance, the minimum fine for a first offense was $50. It increased to $150 for a second offense and $500 for additional offenses within any three-month period.

In addition to fines, the new ordinance empowers the village manager to have snow or ice removed from a violator’s sidewalk and charge the owner or occupant “the full expense” of that work, “plus 15 percent for inspection and related costs.” Conceivably, a violator could be fined and charged for snow removal.

In December, council voted to begin the process of amending the ordinance in response to citizen complaints regarding the 60 tickets the municipality issued in late November.

“We thought that the enforcement was perhaps too heavy-handed with the earlier version of this ordinance,” Frost said.

A woman in the audience, who identified herself as an “active walker” who travels “the entire village,” told council she’s “all for” having a snow ordinance to keep people safe.

“We have kids (in the community) that are walkers. We have a blind person that walks this village almost daily and I worry about him,” she said.

The woman noted that during the “last few snows,” she “saw almost no removal” in the village. “There were sections, complete sections of sidewalk, that weren’t touched for weeks,” she said.

She asked council if this new ordinance will be enforced. Frost assured her the previous ordinance was enforced and the new one would be, too, “moving forward.”

“It is certainly something that we take seriously,” he said.

Frost said it’s necessary to keep village sidewalks clear and safe for everyone, from kids walking to the school bus stop to people who “don’t own a vehicle” and use their feet as “their mode transportation.”

Over the winter, Frost was gratified to see  residents, via social media, offering to assist others in clearing their sidewalks.

“The encouraging thing is that we are having these discussions as residents and neighbors, and we’re helping each other out,” he said.

As with the previous ordinance, the new version applies equally to both residential and commercial properties.

“I would suspect (that) business owners who would like to stay in business (will) clear the sidewalks,” Frost said.

“Some of them do a better job clearing the back (sidewalks) than the front,” noted village Manager Joseph Madore.

Village officials are working to compile a list of community resources – churches, schools, youth groups, clubs, scout troops, etc. – that residents can contact if they are unable to clear their sidewalks due to age, health problems or financial issues.

“I prefer it be a lengthy list,” said Councilwoman Kate Logan, who indicated she’ll be working on finding and publicizing these resources over the spring and summer.

Village resident Mike Schweig offered his assistance. “I’d be willing to contact some of those groups,” he said.