New sidewalk shoveling policy approved by the Cortland Common Council!

A new sidewalk shoveling policy was discussed at last night's Cortland Common Council meeting.  

According to Cortland Fire Department Captain TenKate, the new policy will be enforced, as residents will receive a penalty of $25 for their first two offenses, if they do not clear their sidewalks by 6 p.m. the day following a snow storm. Residents will receive a penalty of $75 for their third offense, $125 for their fourth, and $250 for their fifth. In the occurrence of a continuous snow storm, residents are also required to clear their sidewalks once every 24 hours. If the city of Cortland ends up shoveling your sidewalk, you will get charged with the cost of shoveling along with an additional $25 administrative fee.

“The vast majority of comments that I’ve gotten, are that people want it to be enforced more quickly, not less quickly,” said Tenkate. “We are trying to be proactive and get ahead the best we can.” 

The previous policy included a mailing system, where the mail would go out as a certified mail to residents who did not clear their sidewalks. Once the Department would get the mail back, they would go and check the resident’s sidewalk again. This would take up to three to four days. 

The issue people not shoveling their sidewalks was also brought up by Ward 4 Alderman John Bennett Jr. in December, 2019. 

Here is a video of Cortland Fire Department Captain TenKate's discussion at Common Council: