Mayor of Elkhart May Be Shoveling Sidewalks

The city of Elkhart, Indiana recently created a new ordinance involving snowfall in Elkhart. Elkhart residents no longer have the option of staying inside during those cold and snowy winter days. Instead, they are now required to go outside and shovel their walks or pay someone to do it for them. While this might bode well for young people looking to make a few dollars on snow days, it probably isn't going to make all residents happy.

There are more than a few flaws with this plan and at least one reason for Elkhart residents to be unhappy.

The ordinance basically says that the residents of Elkhart, Indiana are subject to a fine of $25 per incident if they do not remove snow within 24 hours. While some elderly residents may be exempt from the ordinance, those who leave the city for the winter will still be responsible for snow removal.

Complaints and concerns are flooding Elkhart city offices as residents try to understand the details of the ordinance. Some Elkhart residents have even refused to shovel snow, preferring the fine to the health risks.

Part of the problem with the ordinance involves the city workers. Snow plow drivers often plow the snow into drifts, which the residents may then be responsible for removing. Residents who have already shoveled their sidewalks only to have them covered in drifts by the snow plow drivers are outraged. When the issue was addressed in the Common Council meeting, the mayor, Dick Moore stated that he would go out and shovel the sidewalks himself if he had too, but that he was working with the snowplow drivers to avoid such problems.

At present, the ordinance leaves many things unclear. For instance, when there are violations, what are the grounds? Do residents need to have the snow shoveled by a certain time of the day to meet the 24 hour snow removal requirement? Are landlords responsible for the removal of snow on their properties or are the residents responsible? What amount of snow is acceptable and what is the amount that determines that the resident is not in compliance with the ordinance?

While the concept of keeping the sidewalks clear is certainly an admirable concept when it comes to the safety of pedestrians, does it really have the homeowner in mind? Certainly the Elkhart sidewalks need to be clear so that emergency personnel have safe access to the homes at all times, but at what cost to residents?

There haven't been any fines issued for violations of this ordinance yet as the mayor would like to give the residents time to get used to the ordinance. The mayor is also willing to review the ordinance, but not remove it.

In the larger scope of things, the ordinance comes at a time when Elkhart residents are already struggling with the unemployment rate and may not be in good enough health to remove snow or have the finances to pay someone else to do it.

The good news is that at this time, the mayor has made statements that those who apply for exemption will not be denied unless there is no one in the residence in good enough health to shovel snow. The question may then be whether or not residents that go south for the winter will need to change their residency status in order to avoid being a resident of Elkhart that is in good enough health to remove the snow from the sidewalks, whether they are actually at the residence or not.