Warsaw Common Council Discusses Snow Penalties
WARSAW — The Warsaw Common Council’s Feb. 1, meeting kicked off with old business and a second reading of an ordinance to increase the Traffic Safety Commission from seven members to nine.
Mayor Joseph Thallemer said, “Essentially, it would add a city planner and the street superintendent as voting members. It creates a larger body to discern different ideas and give a little broader representation.” It was given a unanimous approval.
Next was a second reading of an ordinance pertaining to parking restrictions for the city hall lot. This ordinance gives the city opportunity to patrol the two-hour maximum parking spaces and to ticket or tow violators. This ordinance passed unanimously at the traffic commission and council meetings.
The next order of business was new business in Ordinance 2016-02-01 and the call to rescind Ordinance 2015-11-03, section 70-4, discharge of snow upon streets. Thallemer stated, “It simply rescinds 70-4, discharge of snow upon the streets. It does not rescind 70-3, just the one portion of it.”
Thallemer said he thought this was something that could be accomplished without fines and law ordinances. The reasoning behind this is there is over 200 miles of road that needs to be cleared after every snow storm and needs to be done as efficiently as possible and safely as possible, but it can be accomplished with everyone in the city working together.
Council member, Mike Klondaris asked the council, “Do you feel without an ordinance we have something in the toolbox to discourage people from pushing snow out afterwards?”
The mayor responded with a succinct, “Yes, I do.”
Klondaris was the first to second the motion to rescind Section 70-4 of the 2016-02-01 ordinance. It was approved unanimously.
Thallemer addressed Klondaris’ concerns after the vote by saying, “In response to your question I’m just going to say that it makes a lot of sense that if a merchant’s having some difficulties we go work with that merchant. If the merchant understands that there are many other folks that rely on us to remove snow I think from a community sense we’ll be able to work with them.”
The last order of business was in discussion of Ordinance 2016-01-03 and the amendments of 70-3 and the rescinding of 70-4. 70-3 and the civil penalty for the unlawful driving through snow placed for removal. The penalty for a first offense is $50 and the second or subsequent violation penalty is $100. The amendment will get a second reading in the next meeting.
The next meeting is 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 16.
