(a) The City of Hillsboro’s Snow & Ice Control Plan (“Plan”) is designed to organize reasonable, cost effective maintenance efforts during periods of snow or ice. The City’s streets are ranked by priority with streets serving schools and hospitals receiving attention first. This assures each residential area is in close proximity to a cleared street and that emergency services can be provided.
(b) The primary purpose of the Plan is to organize safe travel ways during snowstorms. Some inconvenience may be caused to citizens as snow is moved out of the streets and into the gutters. In certain areas, snow may be plowed onto sidewalks or into driveways. A copy of the Plan is available to citizens that are interested in how this service is conducted.
(c) Please note that all business owners have 24 hours after the storm stops to shovel their sidewalk areas and remove ice from the front of their business to the City street. All commercial and residential property owners shall keep their portion of the public sidewalks clear of ice and snow to provide safe travel for pedestrians.
(d) Prolonged or ongoing storms create a challenging environment for snow removal. The City will make a good faith effort to treat ice and snow conditions according to the priorities set by the City to promote the safety of motorists and pedestrians. Many factors can impact this effort, so each storm event is handled according to existing conditions. To be effective this Plan requires that citizens work in partnership with the City to deal with situations as they progress. The City encourages citizens to be patient, exercise caution, and extend grace during these challenging storms.
(Ord. 1159, Art. 1; Code 2022; Ord. 1406)
The primary purpose of the Plan is to organize snow and ice removal efforts so that safe travel routes are available during snowstorms. The Plan identifies the process for snow removal and requirements for businesses and residents. Each event is different so the timelines and procedures may vary at the city’s discretion to address changing conditions.
(Ord. 1159, Art. 2; Code 2022; Ord. 1406)
The Chief of Police shall have the authority to declare a winter storm emergency, during which, to accommodate the removal of snow and ice from City streets, times of parking upon such streets may be restricted or limited. This declaration shall be in effect upon snow fall exceeding three (3) inches or as declared by the Chief of Police based upon the actual condition of City streets and the potential need for the movement of emergency service and other official vehicles. Citizens and patrons of the City shall be notified of this condition of emergency through standard channels of dissemination of information from the City, personal contact, and visible efforts of City crews to remove snow and ice.
(Ord. 1159, Art. 2; Code 2022)
Once a winter storm emergency exists, the following snow routes will be the priority for clearing and may remain open, but the following restrictions shall apply:
(a) That parking upon the following listed streets in the City of Hillsboro, Kansas shall be prohibited from the hour of 7:00 p.m. to the hour of 8:00 a.m. each day until the emergency regulation is lifted.
(North-South) The entirety of Ash Street
Main Street from D Street to 3rd Street
Adams Street from D Street to US-56
The entirety of D Street
The entirety of Grand Street
The entirety of Third Street.
(b) That parking upon all other streets in the City of Hillsboro during times of active removal of ice and snow by City crews is prohibited, until the emergency regulation is lifted.
(c) That any damage caused by City equipment to vehicles parked in violation of this regulation or that any damage or expenses incurred to vehicles requiring tow away, as a result of snow removal work, shall be the responsibility of the owner or operator thereof and not at the expense or responsibility of the City of Hillsboro, Kansas. Any damage to mailboxes, structures, or other property adjacent to the street right-of-way caused inadvertently by snow and ice removal activities is not the responsibility of the city.
(d) Residents will be required to place their trash and recycling carts in the areas of the street that are cleared to traffic rather than behind the curb. Failure to place the trash and recycling cart in an easily accessible location will result in the trash not being picked up. Residents will be notified of any variation from scheduled trash collection as dictated by the weather conditions.
(e) No person shall willfully fail or refuse to comply with any lawful order of direction of any City police officer respecting the removal of an automobile owned or operated by such person, for purpose of accomplishing snow removal, and such refusal or failure to comply with such order shall be punishable by a fine of up to $500.00.
(Ord. 1159, Art. 1; Code 2022; Ord. 1406)
The priority for snow removal is to promote safe travel of people and provision of emergency services. Priorities include opening of major streets that carry the largest volume of traffic or that serve vital facilities first, and then open local streets that feed into the major streets. This will permit the greatest traffic flow in the shortest time.
The street department will determine the precise order of the streets to be cleared based on the conditions for the storm. The following streets will be cleared as priority streets:
Adams Street Main Street Grand Street D Street
Industrial Road Ash Street Orchard Drive
Once the major streets are cleared, crews will proceed with residential streets as time allows. City crews may then clear frequently used alleyways at the City’s discretion.
(Ord. 1159, Art. 2; Code 2022; Ord. 1406)
(a) For purposes of this section, a business subject to this regulation shall be defined as any identifiable business, school, church, or not for profit organization, which abuts a public sidewalk.
(b) Within twenty-four (24) hours after any snow or ice stops falling on a public sidewalk abutting a business district property, it is the duty of each owner and/or tenant, to clean off and remove from the sidewalk in front of his/her property or in front of the property occupied by him/her as a tenant, all accumulations of ice and snow. If such owner or occupant shall fail to remove such ice or snow within the effective time period, then the same may be removed by the City. The cost of such removal plus a fee of $100 shall be billed to the building owner or tenant. If the invoices remain unpaid after 90 days, then the Governing Body may levy the charges as a special assessment against each respective piece of property or send the invoices to the City’s designated collection company. Further, in case of a failure on the part of said owner or occupant to so remove such accumulations of ice or snow, such owner or occupant shall be deemed guilty of an unclassified misdemeanor.
Businesses in the Downtown corridor are encouraged to clear sidewalks while the streets and parking areas are being cleared. The City attempts to clear Downtown streets and parking before traffic can drive on the snow, compacting it. If time allows, the City may clear parking areas a second time allowing a reasonable amount of time for business owners to clear sidewalks into the parking area.
(c) Under this section, snow or ice has not “stopped falling” if additional snow or ice falls within two (2) hours.
(d) The obligations stated above do not apply to the City park, golf course, or other recreational property, nor do those obligations apply to a sidewalk from which the City regularly removes snow and ice.
(e) The City intends, by this section, to create legally enforceable duties for the benefit of persons lawfully using sidewalks, subject to applicable rules of law, including comparative negligence and other civil defenses, and breach of these duties may support civil recovery by injured persons lawfully using public sidewalks from each violator, jointly and severally, for damages the violation proximately causes. Nothing in this Article is intended to impose any standard of care, obligation, or liability upon the City and the City disclaims the same.
(f) Commercial trash and recycling customers are required to remove any ice and snow that blocks access of the trash truck to remove waste or recycling. Trash personnel may opt not to collect trash or recycle from dumpsters they deem unsafe due to ice and snow. Customers will be advised that their dumpster is blocked and was not picked up. Waste and recycling will not be collected until the customer can clear ice and snow blocking the dumpster. Any excess trash piled in or around the dumpster will be charged at the appropriate rate by the size of the dumpster once it can be safely collected.
(Ord. 1159, Art. 2; Code 2022; Ord. 1406)