Skip to content

Policy committee sets ‘realistic standards’ for snow, ice removal

Red Deer residents can expect specific timelines for when main roads, residential streets and sidewalks can be cleared, a committee suggested on Monday.

Red Deer residents can expect specific timelines for when main roads, residential streets and sidewalks can be cleared, a committee suggested on Monday.

The Governance and Policy Committee, which includes all members of council, reviewed on Monday changes to the existing city’s Snow and Ice Control policy. The existing policy suggested clearing of residential streets every 25 days, but this target wasn’t being met.

Public Works manager Greg Sikora said it was being done on average 36 days.

As a result, the new policy would say that plowing and windrowing (piling snow in the middle of the street) would be done within 40 days.

“I like that we now have realistic standards so we can show the public whether we met them or not,” said Coun. Lynne Mulder. “Before we set them so high, we couldn’t reach them.”

Coun. Chris Stephan opposed the recommendation.

Stephan said he doesn’t feel residents would be happy with this change because the alternatives are coming “to a lower standard.”

“We had a lot of complaints the last couple of years because our snow removal is inadequate, especially when it came to windrows, sidewalks and residential streets,” said Stephan. “So our public wanted increased standards, but that was going to come at a great expense. I think a lot of the community would support that, including myself.”

The snow removal budget in 2012 comes in at $2.92 million — representing an $570,000 increase over the previous year to allow one residential plow and the plowing of snow to one side of the street (windrowing).

City manager Craig Curtis said the city would have to double the workforce to achieve some of the goals that the public suggested they would like to see.

“This would add $2.5 million to the budget and if council is happy with an extra three per cent tax increase, they can have exactly what the public wanted,” said Curtis.

Curtis added that some people feel that it’s not snowing like it was so there doesn’t need to be so much money in the snow removal budget.

The committee also recommended that existing budget and service levels should continue, until the conclusion of 2012 to allow council to determine the impacts of the overall budget and impacts on service levels.

The committee had three alternatives to look at and recommended Alternative 1. That option will go to city council at a later date for consideration.

The differences between Alternative 1, 2 and 3 mainly have to do with how often sidewalks should be cleared, as well as plowing arterials such as high collision intersections.

Alternative 1 suggested plowing the sidewalks every 10 days and plowing arterials every 72 hours, while Alternative 2 looked at snow clearing every three days and plowing arterials every four days. Alternative 3 would seek an additional $125,000 so that sidewalks are cleared every five days and clearing arterials within three days.

The committee recommended Alternative 1.

Coun. Paul Harris said he’s glad to see that the new policy will include targets for sidewalks.

“We can’t hold the public to a different standard than the city,” said Harris, adding that residents must clear their walks within 48 hours. “Otherwise, it leads to a disparity. You can walk along your residential street and everything is nice and you get to the park and it’s icy.”

The committee recommended administration bring back a brief by the end of May with respect to sidewalk snow clearing including: what does sidewalk clearing in the city entail; what would it take to achieve equity and fairness between residential sidwealk clearing as required in the Traffic Bylaw and the clearing of sidewalks adjacent to City lands.

Coun. Tara Veer suggested the policy be reviewed after a year.

As well, the committee addressed the Snow and Ice Contingency Reserve policy. The reserve was created in 2011 so that money could be accessed right away for exceptional snow and ice events.

It was set up with $400,000, with the understanding it would have a minimum balance equalling 20 per cent of the current year’s annual snow and ice budget.

During the 2012 operating budget talks, council was told that the reserve would be $586,000 because of this 20 per cent rule.

Council reduced the amount of $200,000 during the budget talks, resulting in non-compliance of this policy.

The committee has now recommended the reserve policy be repealed.

Councillors Cindy Jefferies, Paul Harris, Lynne Mulder, Frank Wong and Mayor Morris Flewwelling were in favour while Councillors Veer, Stephan and Dianne Wyntjes were opposed. Coun. Buck Buchanan was absent.

Veer said her concern is that the current snow removal policy deals with average snow events. During the previous two years when there was a huge dumping of snow, people weren’t happy with the extent of snow removal, she said.

“I was in favour of the snow reserve because it had some money set aside for us to respond to an above-average event,” Veer said.

Veer said she didn’t want to see the snow reserve get too large because that would result in over-taxation.

Instead, the money would come out of the tax stabilization reserve which she doesn’t like.

ltester@www.reddeeradvocate.com