City passes new snow removal rules

Grappling with the most significant issue facing Sisters in the past couple of months, the Sisters City Council approved Ordinance 473 concerning snow and ice removal within the city of Sisters.

Issues addressed by the ordinance include: prohibiting parking along designated snow routes and during emergency snow-removal operations and providing a penalty for cars not removed.

Snow removal by City crews has been seriously hampered this winter by vehicles abandoned or parked on city streets, making it difficult to impossible for plows to sufficiently clear and widen snow-covered streets.

Up to this point in time, the Public Works Department has operated according to a plowing and sanding plan that outlines plow routes and priorities as well as staff assignments. These policies and procedures were designed to keep transportation routes operational and as safe as possible during snow/ice storms in order to minimize the economic impact on the community.

Vehicles stopped, stalled and/or parked on city streets during snow/ice removal operations constitute a hazard, present risk to emergency vehicles, and inhibit snow and ice removal.

The new ordinance approved by the Council allows the city manager to declare and terminate an Emergency Snow Removal Operation. During the emergency, on-street parking will not be allowed and the City has authority to remove vehicles and fine violators. Because this is a new ordinance, there will be a grace period during which the City will issue warnings with time given to remove a vehicle.

New signs will be posted throughout town indicating that when snow reaches four inches or more of accumulation, the area becomes a no-parking zone and cars must be moved. After a snowfall, temporary signs will be placed in neighborhoods no less than four hours prior to the commencement of snow-removal operations, and such streets may be closed off and blocked at all times during such snow-removal operations.

Another provision of the ordinance states that no person will sweep, throw, shovel, push, plow or deposit any snow/ice from private property, sidewalks, and/or driveways onto a street, sidewalk, or other public right-of-way.

The object of the new ordinance is to allow the Public Works Department to do a more efficient and thorough job of clearing snow from city streets the first time the plows are out. This is expected to save money and time for the City and provide safer streets for vehicle and pedestrian traffic.

The existing regulations for private streets, sidewalks adjacent to businesses, and the streets in Pine Meadow Village remain unchanged.

A copy of the new ordinance is available at City Hall and will eventually be included on the City website under municipal codes.