Laramie will have a chance to sound off on snow removal policies during the regular City Council meeting tomorrow night at 6:30 p.m. in the city council chambers.

The Laramie City Council will hold a public hearing on an original ordinance that will make changes to the Laramie Municipal Code regarding the regulations for removing snow, ice and debris from sidewalks.

The potential revisions in Original Ordinance No. 1977 aim to increase walkability and safety of Laramie’s sidewalks and include updates such as changing the snow or ice removal time frame to 9 a.m. the following morning after snowfall and requiring a 42 inch path to be cleared.

The ordinance also includes fees to enforce the policies. Violators of the policy would have 24 hours after a notice is posted on their property. If the obstruction is not removed within 24 hours, the city may hire a contractor to remove the snow, ice or other debris from the sidewalk at the violator’s expense. The owner of the property would be charged a $100 administrative fee in addition to the contractor’s fee for the first offense within a six month period. The second offense would bring a $150 fine.

Snow removal from sidewalks has been a much-discussed topic in Laramie. Mayor Andrea Summerville said in an interview on the Laramie Live morning show on KOWB that the city has received complaints from citizens about sidewalks not being cleared and so has taken another look at the ordinances.

“The community at some point and time is going to have to decide how important it is to have sidewalks shoveled,” Summerville said.

Following the public comment period, the City Council will have the second reading on the ordinance.

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