(A) Ice and snow a nuisance. All snow and ice remaining upon public sidewalks is hereby declared to constitute a public nuisance, and shall be abated by the owner, or tenant, of the abutting private property within 12 hours after snow or ice has ceased to be deposited.
(B) City to remove snow and ice. The city may cause to be removed from all public sidewalks, beginning 24 hours after snow or ice has ceased to fall, all snow and ice which may be discovered thereon, and it shall keep a record of the cost of removal, and the private property adjacent to which accumulations were found and removed.
(C) Cost of removal to be assessed. The City Clerk-Treasurer shall, upon direction of the Council, and on receipt of the information provided for in division (B) above, extend the cost of the removal of snow or ice as a special assessment against the lots, or parcels, of ground abutting on walks which were cleared, and the special assessments shall, at the time of certifying taxes to the County Auditor, be certified for collection as other special assessments are certified and collected.
(D) Civil suit for cost of removal. The City Clerk-Treasurer shall, in the alternative, upon direction of the Council, bring suit in a court of competent jurisdiction to recover from the persons owning land adjacent to which sidewalks were cleared, as provided in division (B) above hereof, the cost of clearing, and the cost, and disbursements, of a civil action therefor.
(E) Placing snow or ice in public street or on other city property. It is a misdemeanor for any person not acting under a specific contract with the city to remove snow from private property or alleys, and place the same on a public street in such quantity, or in such manner, as to cause a hazard to travel, without adequate arrangements for the immediate removal thereof; and it is also a misdemeanor for any person not acting under a contract with the city to dump snow on other city property.
(F) Excessive snow. Circumstances of excessive snow where the removal of snow from city streets makes it difficult, if not impossible, for some private property owners to keep snow removed from their sidewalks, by unanimous agreement of the Street/Park Superintendent, City Manager, and Mayor, the city may declare a moratorium that the requirement of private property owners to remove ice and snow from their sidewalk at a reasonable period of time as to be determined by the Street/Park Superintendent, City Manager, and City Clerk-Treasurer. The public shall be notified in a manner as the City Manager deems appropriate.
(Prior Code, § 7.04) (Ord. 12, third series, passed 4-6-2010) Penalty, see § 152.99