An ordinance in Lakewood requiring property owners shovel their sidewalks within a day of snowfall has not stopped some from ignoring the law over and over again.
Complaints to the city of Lakewood from 2016, obtained by News 5, showed repeat offenders being cited more than once, but the city’s mayor conceded the ordinance is hard to enforce.
Mayor Mike Summers said city inspectors respond to complaints from residents, but then offenders are given several days to correct the issue before a fine is issued. He said, as a result, fines are rarely imposed.
“That might be two or three, four days later, like this kind of weather," Summers said referring to Wednesday's sunshine and temperatures that were above freezing.
"The snow melts, problem solved."
But Stacie Ross, who started a Facebook page to encourage more neighbors to clear their sidewalks, would like to see greater enforcement. She’s concerned about school children walking, since the city does not use buses, and the elderly.
“If they’re enforcing lawn mowing, which I know that they do, or paint peeling,” Ross said, "I think this is more of a safety hazard than the aesthetic of your house.”
Mayor Summers said the city is doing a better job educating landlords about the law with a landlord newsletter and regular landlord training sessions.
