Williams Lake city council and staff are up to their eyeballs in the white stuff, even before any sign of the first snowflake, as the city looks to update their snow and ice control policy.
At the Oct. 1 committee of the whole meeting in the Rick Hansen room of city hall, council and staff hashed out some of the details of a draft policy.
Details like updating expected timelines of the different prioritized streets and confirming the wording was not leaving the city open to liability issues made for a lot to talk about.
The city's current policy has not been amended since 2016 and the report to council said the objective of the new policy was to "document procedures that set reasonable timelines and service levels for the effective handling of snow and ice during the winter."
The new policy will help to better reflect the existing service levels, improve clarity, increase operational efficiency, and reduce potential liabilities.
The discussion lasted more than 45 minutes, with mention of the number of complaints snow and ice clearing generates for the city during the winter months as well as some precedent-setting civil cases finding municipalities liable for injuries related to snow clearing.
Requests for adjustments included putting in definitions for clarity and including references to the Good Neighbour Bylaw which requires property owners and residents to clear their sidewalks.
The policy update does not include changes to sidewalk clearing within the municipality, though Councillor Joan Flaspohler brought this up, calling it a contentious issue.
"Sidewalk clearing for me is huge," said Flaspohler. "I personally feel that we should be providing that service that once was provided here."
The policy will maintain the existing level of service but will instead better reflect the timelines the city has been able to meet within their capacity and budget.
Flaspohler, Coun. Sheila Boehm, Coun. Angie Delainey, and Mayor Surinderpal Rathor, as well as Coun. Jazmyn Lyons remotely, all voted unanimously for staff to review the policy based on council's discussion, seek legal guidance and bring back an updated policy to a city council meeting for adoption.
Councillor Scott Nelson was absent from the meeting and Councillor Michael Moses is currently on unpaid leave from council as he seeks election to the role of MLA for the Cariboo-Chilcotin.
