Kent ordinance requires owners and occupants to remove snow

Story by: Chelsey Milkovich and Martin Harp
Video by: Jenson Strock

As the city of Kent blisters through the harsh temperatures during the winter, residents and visitors also trudge through the snow and ice that cover the sidewalks. Kent City Ordinance 521.15 requires all owners and occupants of businesses and households to shovel their own sidewalk for the safety of the community. The problem with this ordinance is although it is an order; it is not always one that is practiced by the community, which can keep walkers in the Kent community from a safe and painless commute.

According to the ordinance, it is also illegal to push snow into the street and block off the sidewalks. When the ordinance is violated, business and homeowners may face a civil fine of $100.

The ordinance goes on to state if the sidewalks are not cleared, the Director of Service is permitted to authorize the sidewalks to be cleared at the owner or occupants expense. Owners and occupants will receive a notice in the mail giving them five days to pay the costs of the removal. If the fees are not paid in the five day window, it is transferred over to the County Auditor to be collected the same as other taxes are collected.

Kent city resident Wesley Sanders complains that his home on South Water Street does not have clear enough sidewalks for him to walk to work.

“I would guess that my landlord is unaware of the ordinance,” said Sanders. “It is very inconvenient for me to worry about leaving my house during such harsh weather conditions. The iced up driveway and sidewalks only make it worse.”

As for Josh Butler, former resident of Kent, he believes that the city of Kent does a fine job of keeping their sidewalks clean.

“I think they do a really good job considering the accumulation of snow during these winter months,” said Butler. “It could definitely be better, but I can get around just fine and I don’t feel unsafe.”

Liz Priore, leasing agent at Holly Park apartments, said the development is fully aware of the ordinance in place by Kent and that they do all that they can to follow it.

“We have hired someone specifically just to remove the snow,” said Priore. “And it goes past just removing the snow on Main Street sidewalks, we have 11 acres of land we have to keep up with, so we need to make sure it gets done. Even with the amount of snowfall we have had it hasn’t been hard to keep up with at all because of the extra help that we have.”

Priore also said that even though it is an ordinance by the city of Kent, Holly Park would remove the snow as fast as possible anyway for the sake of the residents.

“People have to walk and we are aware of that,” said Priore. “It tends to get worse if you let it sit and don’t get to it right away. It turns to ice and just makes it harder to keep up with. If we can get to it before anyone else is able to set foot on it just makes it easier.”

Another reason for the fast response by Holly Park is the amount of international students that live there, said Priore.

“We have a lot of international students that don’t have cars to get from here to there,” said Priore. “Making sure the walk is as comfortable for them as possible is a big priority. Also we are aware that Main Street sidewalks are really the only way to and from campus and our complex. Making sure it is clear and the way is not obstructed for everyone, not just for residents of Holly Park, helps everyone out.”

The city of Kent as a whole is expected to take part in keeping certain areas clear of snow and ice build up. Paul Bauer, Kent city enforcement officer covers all sidewalk violations, including snow removal.

“There are two specific ordinances that clarify the difference between residents and businesses,” said Bauer. “The sidewalk ordinance applies to everyone. If you have a sidewalk, you need to talk care of it.”

Bauer said the second ordinance typically deals with businesses with parking lots, because they have to deal with the piles of snow accumulated from plowing rather just the snow covering the ground.

If a business is notified about the ordinance after they have not removed their snow, they have 24 hours to remove the snow since the last snow fall. The fine to resist doing so is $100.

“The problem with this is the gray area we face in determining when the last snow fall was,” said Bauer. “We’re in Northeast Ohio, it seems like it’s snowing nonstop.”

The point of the ordinance is not to cause problems between business and city maintenance, but to keep the city of Kent as safe as possible, said Bauer.

“At the end of the day, the snow needs to be removed from the sidewalks. Period. We want Kent to be a safe place for all of its residents and visitors.”

For more information on snow and ice removal or questions and comments, contact the Service Department at 330-678-8105.