I ve heard one direct complaint, there was a letter to the editor last week, and one downtown merchant told me he has heard complaints from others about the city s policy. Since I wrote about Philip K. Howard s book, The Death of Common Sense last week, I thought it appropriate that I apply the common sense test to our existing snow plowing policy. Also, as I was on the public works committee when the policy was drafted, and on the council when it was approved, I have some insight behind the logic of the policy. First of all, there is a difference between snow plowing and snow removal. The city of Paynesville only plows snow in residential areas.
Snow is removed only in certain commercial areas, notably downtown.
Many other cities with larger budgets plow snow off all streets initially, allowing for normal traffic levels as soon as possible. This allows residents to park on city streets at any time, with only the risk of having their vehicle blocked in by snow during plowing. Once the plowing is done, then snow removal ordinances go into effect. Residents must then dig our their vehicle, or have it towed away, as crews come by a second time and the snow is removed from the streets. We could offer the additional service of snow removal, but at a cost to residents.