Residents offer mixed feedback on sidewalk snow removal proposal

The City of Rhinelander is in the information-gathering phase as it considers a pilot program that would involve the hiring of a city employee who would be responsible for clearing snow from sidewalks adjacent to some of the community’s most well-traveled streets.

The first of two public meetings on the proposal, held on Sept. 28, drew approximately 15 residents to City Hall and resulted in a spirited discussion. 

The second meeting was scheduled for Thursday evening, after this edition went to press.

The city’s proposal involves only the following streets: Lincoln Street, from the bypass to Oneida Avenue; Courtney/Thayer Street, from Oneida Avenue to Timber Drive; Pelham, from Courtney to Anderson; Stevens, from Pelham to Iverson; and Timber, from Stevens to Coolidge.

Funding for the position would come from a special assessment, based on the amount of public sidewalk on each property in the designated area. For example, if a property owner has 60’ feet of public sidewalk abutting their property, and the Council were to set an assessment rate of $3 per foot, this property owner would be assessed $180 for snow removal for the entire year. 

According to city administrator Patrick Reagan, the city would clear the sidewalks in question whenever there’s a snowfall of three inches or more.

“This means that if it snows 3” or more ten times during the winter — and city forces must clear it 10 times, that property owner would ostensibly be paying $18 for each clearing of snow on public sidewalk abutting their property,” Reagan wrote in a memo to the council explaining the proposal. “This assessment would be necessary to cover the costs of hiring an individual to perform this work, maintenance on equipment used during this work, fuel for this equipment, and replacement of the equipment used in future years.”

 During the Sept. 11 council meeting, Reagan stressed that this is merely an idea and he wants to take the necessary time to determine whether it’s a viable option or not.

“We want to just take and explore this idea,” he told the alderpersons. “We’re not asking you to pass a special assessment. We’re not asking you to really take any action tonight at all. We just want to let you know that we’d like to have public meetings on this, invite all the people that are going to be affected and talk with them and just see what their thoughts are, see if this is something they’d be interested in. If they are, great, we’ll move forward. If they’re not, we’ll go back to the drawing board or drop it all together.”

Reagan echoed that sentiment during the Sept. 28 meeting with the public, stressing that the council has not signed off on anything other than holding meetings. 

“I’ve had people say, ‘you’re doing it this year, you’re just going to force it on us,’ No. No. That’s exactly what we don’t want to do. We want to talk to you about this,” he insisted. “This is just an idea.”

If the concept ultimately receives council approval, the earliest the program would begin would be the winter of 2024-25, he added.

An audience member asked if property owners in the designated area could “opt out” of the program.

“It would have to be all or nothing,” Reagan replied, noting that it would be inefficient for the employee, who would use a Bobcat machine, to clear sidewalks in front of some homes and businesses on a particular street and leave others uncleared.

Some indicated they have purchased snow blowers for the express purpose of clearing sidewalks and don’t want to be forced to pay the city for this service after already purchasing equipment to handle the task themselves.

“Are you sure you’re going to do a better job than we’re doing?” asked one business owner, after detailing his specific process for clearing snow.

Another resident, a 92-year-old widow who has lived in the city for decades, explained that she routinely clears the sidewalk in front of her home only to have city plow trucks push snow and ice back on her property as they clear the roads.

“Are you going to come back and clean up the foot of snow that I had already cleaned up?” she asked the administrator and mayor.

Mayor Kris Hanus said the proposal under consideration is for the city employee hired to clear the sidewalks to complete three-hour loops, meaning that the employee would return approximately three hours after first clearing a particular sidewalk. 

The issue, according to city officials, is that some residents and business owners are extremely conscientious about promptly clearing sidewalks but others refuse to take care of the chore.

The concept is to increase the city’s walkability by ensuring that sidewalks are cleared after every significant snowfall. 

Several attendees of the Sept. 28 meeting indicated they believe the idea is not without merit, referring to it as a sincere response from the city to the issue of inconsistent sidewalk clearing, but expressed doubt as to whether it’s actually feasible.

“Your heart is probably in the right place here but I think that it’s almost impossible to do what you’re talking about doing because every property is different,” noted one attendee. “I think it’s a great idea theoretically. I think practically it has no chance of succeeding.”

Attendees were asked to fill out a short survey regarding the pilot program and return it to the city. 

Reagan indicated he will report back to the council after both meetings are complete and surveys are compiled. 

The City Council will ultimately decide whether to move forward with the pilot program or abandon the idea.

Heather Schaefer may be reached at [email protected].