For first time this winter, Pekin is responsible for removing snow and ice on sidewalks

Mike Kramer, Pekin Daily Times
·3 min read
As part of the city's new Limited English Proficiency Policy, language identification cards will be displayed in the lobbies of Pekin City Hall, the Pekin Police Department, and each Pekin Fire Department station.

PEKIN – Despite summer, there was extensive discussion on snow and ice removal during Monday’s Pekin City Council meeting.

With the defeat of an ordinance during the Council’s July 11 meeting that would have required property owners to remove snow and ice from sidewalks adjacent to their properties, the city must undertake all snow and ice removal on sidewalks to ensure compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. According to Pekin City Manager Mark Rothert, the two options under consideration are outsourcing the work to private contractors or using city staff, equipment and materials to clear the sidewalks.

“The costs for privatized snow and ice removal will likely be higher than conducting such operations in-house,” Rothert noted. “Staff therefore does not recommend the outsourcing of snow and ice removal on sidewalks.”

Rothert estimated that in-house snow and ice removal operations by the city will cost approximately $5.4 million over the next five years. The cost would include a one-time expense of $1,440,000 for equipment. He also identified potential funding streams that included use of city fund balance cash reserves, maintenance fees, a self-storage facility user tax, an online streaming amusement user tax, a commercial waste hauler license fee increase, a utility tax, and raised property taxes. He also mentioned the possibility of defunding some projects included in the city’s 2022-23 capital improvement budget. The revenue streams and defunded projects would generate a total of $8,741,506.

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“Any number of these funding options can be combined to come up with the $2.2 million needed in Year One to start the snow and ice removal,” Rothert said. “However, there is going to be a new funding stream needed every year of around $800,000 to pay for year-to-year operations.”

Public input and discussion on the issue lasted over an hour, with residents expressing such concerns as property owners who perform their own snow and ice removal paying additional taxes and fees, the possibility that the city would be performing a service that many property owners do not need, and whether defunding certain projects would hinder the growth of Pekin’s downtown. Pekin Mayor Mark Luft expressed gratitude to the citizens who had come to the meeting to give their input, noting that the best time for residents to make their voice heard is before a policy decision has been made.

“Some of the best coaches in football usually show up on Monday morning,” he said. “We need the coaches here … before we vote on something, not after the fact. So, I’m very pleased to see more people in here … to come and give their input on what they want for their community.”

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In other business:

- An ordinance revising the city’s sign code to improve clarity and consistency among the regulations passed by a unanimous vote.

- The Council unanimously approved $7,500 in sponsorship assistance for the Pekin Marigold Festival Committee.

- A resolution on $40,000 in expenditure authority to procure short-term assistance from the accounting firm Martin Hood, LLC for auditing purposes passed 6-1. Hilst cast the dissenting vote.

- The Council unanimously approved an agreement with Pekin High School District 303 for the Pekin Police Department to provide a School Resource Officer (SRO). District 303 will pay 50% of the SRO’s salary.

This article originally appeared on Pekin Daily Times: Pekin City Council, citizens discuss snow removal policy for sidewalks