Fort Dodge property owners apparently won't have an extra day for snow removal.
The City Council on Monday rejected a bid to extend the deadline for removing snow from public sidewalks alongside homes and businesses to 48 hours.
That deadline is now 24 hours, meaning the sidewalks have to be cleared within a day of the snowfall.
The measure won its first passage by the council two weeks ago.
But a 4-3 vote on its second reading killed that idea.
Council members Dave Flattery, Richard Inman, Cindy Litwiller and Dan Payne voted no. Council members Matt Bemrich, Curt Olson and Don Wilson voted yes.
Flattery and Litwiller have always opposed the change, saying that leaving snow on the sidewalks that long is a public safety hazard.
Inman and Payne originally voted in favor of the change.
Payne said people called him to say they believed the city was catering to a small number of people by changing the law. He added that the 48-hour deadline could cause problems for children walking to school.
Now, if the snow isn't removed within 24 hours after a storm, the city hires a contractor to remove it. The property owner is then sent a bill, which can be added to their property taxes if it isn't paid promptly.
The concept of changing the deadline emerged about a month ago when Brian Becker of Becker Realty Investments complained to the council about an $826.40 bill he received for snow removal at Dodger Apartments, 609 N. 22nd St.
Contact Bill Shea at (515) 573-2141 or bshea@messengernews.net