Memo- Snow Emergency Policy ReviewMemorandum
To: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
From: Steven J. Stadler, Public Works. Director e,
Copy: Steven C. Mielke, City Manager
Earl Johnson, Police Chief
Date: August 6, 1998
Subject: Snow Emergency Policy Review
STAFF RECOMMENDATION
Public Works Department
At the July 14` Council Worksession, staff discussed current snow emergency
operations and presented eight (8) alternatives for discussion purposes. Staff
recommended that if Council felt it was necessary to change current operations in an
attempt to decrease the number of vehicle tows, that the policy be changed to increase
the snowfall amount from 2+ inches to 3+ inches.
After discussion, Council directed staff to investigate an alternative policy where
vehicles would only be towed prior to initial plowing from designated snow emergency
routes and all other illegally parked vehicles would be ticketed. Ticketed vehicles
would be towed later if they weren't moved from the street.
The attached policy review describes this alternative (called option 1), lists
advantages /disadvantages and includes a timeline of activities.
Don't change the current policy. Under the current program only those who don't
comply with our ordinance are penalized — all other residents enjoy and appreciate
streets plowed early and curb -to -curb. If we change to Option 1, staff believes the
result will be as follows:
Work effort will increase while snow plowing quality decreases.
Residents who do comply with our policy can also be penalized if they live on a
block where there are frequent parking violations. Streets could remain in
substandard condition throughout the winter.
Rather than change the current policy staff requests Council consider directing the
following actions:
There may be fewer complaints about vehicle tows /tickets.
There will be at least an equal number of new complaints from those who must
accept lower quality service due to vehicles left parked on the streets.
Step -up the education effort by providing a direct mailing to residents in apartment
buildings within problem areas — check with apt managers to determine whether
bilingual handouts would be helpful.
Continue to place windshield warnings on vehicles parked in problem areas — this
should be done in October. and November.
Mount red flags on our snow emergency signage at city entrances in
October /November and remove them in the spring.
Attend the Apartment Managers Assoc. meeting /s this fall to discuss problem areas
and provide handouts for managers to post and distribute.
Place a large snow emergency sign with handouts at the October 10 Fire Dept
Open House.
Place a brightly colored snow emergency article in the Nov /Dec Hopkins Highlights.
SNOW EMERGENCY POLICY REVIEW August 3, 1998
OPTION 1:
Description:
Operations would be similar to current procedures except that on all streets other
than designated snow emergency routes, parked cars would receive a $60 parking
violation ticket rather than being tagged and towed from the street. On designated
snow emergency routes vehicles would continue to be tagged and towed as is
currently done.
Snow plowing times would not change from the current procedures.
Ticketed vehicles would have 24 hours to be removed or they would be towed.
Police Officers or deputized volunteer fire fighters would issue towing tags or
parking tickets.
Advantages of Option 1:
1. Residents wouldn't have vehicles towed immediately but would still be penalized for
being parked in the street.
2. Snow emergency routes (main routes) would be cleared of all vehicles prior to
plowing.
3 Snow emergency signage at city limits wouldn't have to be changed.
4. Very little resident and business education necessary prior to implementing
change.
5. Relatively easy to return to current policy if this change doesn't work out
Disadvantages of Option 1:
1. There will still be problem areas where PW crews will have to plow around parked
cars and return to clean up. This will have to be done with overtime due to
downtown area snow hauling on the day following a snow emergency.
2. There will be the problem of plowing -in driveways a second time and plowing -in
nearby legally parked vehicles as areas are cleaned up on the second day.
3. There will be compacted snow and ridges where cars have been left parked —
plowing quality will decrease in some areas.
4. Signs would have to be installed along all snow emergency routes.
5. If we have back -to -back storms it will be difficult to return to the plow around areas.
Snow would continue to build up & be packed down — again snow plowing quality
will suffer and residents will complain about the service.
6. There is always plenty of miscellaneous work associated with each snow emergency
especially when the snowfall has been heavy and /or storms frequent. This option
adds another work element by expanding the amount of clean up plowing after each
snow emergency.
7. It is likely that cars will be legally parked near plow around locations on the following
day, especially on the problem streets. If so, adequate cleanup plowing will not be
possible.
8. It will be very difficult or impossible to safely drive a dump truck and plow through
some streets if cars are parked on both sides.
9. Vehicles left on the street but without a ticket on the windshield will have to be
checked prior to towing to verify that a ticket was issued.
Timeline of activities under Option 1:
Snow Emergency day
3 :00 p.m. - 6 :00 p.m. Snow emergency is declared. PW notifies Police Dept.
11:00 p.m. — 1:00 a.m. Volunteer fire fighters tag vehicles parked on snow
emergency routes for towing and ticket vehicles parked on
other city streets.
1 :00 a.m. 5 :00 a.m. City's contracted towing service tows parked cars from the
snow emergency routes.
2 :00 a.m. -10 :00 a.m. City- wide snowplowing (streets, parking Tots and alleys) is
completed.
1 s day after snow emergency plowing
1 :00 a.m. -10 :00 a.m. Downtown area snow is windrowed to center of streets and
picked up and hauled to snow dump locations.
7 :00 a.m. - 8 :00 a.m.
Police Dept personnel and /or PW Street Superintendent
note locations of plowed -in vehicles and contact towing
service with locations.
8:00 a.m. 10:00 a.m. Towing service tows plowed -in parked vehicles from the
streets.
10:00 a.m. 12 :00 p.m. Public Works personnel do clean -up plowing, where
required.
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