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After a few twists and turns, the Millwood City Council unanimously passed a right-of-way ordinance at a special meeting Monday night.
Ordinance 373, outlining municipal standards for everything from bus stops to utility work, signals the city’s first official stance regarding potential obstructions – and any resulting liability – on streets and sidewalks throughout Millwood.
“This entire issue is about improving public safety,” said Millwood Mayor Dan Mork. “We’re seeing more situations, especially with the snow of late, where parked cars have become a cause of concern.”
The new legislation means the city can now utilize code enforcement to protect against impediments ranging from vehicles to decorative stones as well as activities like landscaping or street maintenance that may interfere with the flow of traffic. The ordinance also includes provisions for permits that must be procured through the city for projects or events that affect the right-of-way.
The 27-page document was brought before the Millwood council last October and was expected to become part of the city’s muncipal code the following month. Yet when a group of citizens showed up at November’s council meeting requesting further discussion on the proposal, Mork said the city would “pick through (the ordinance) paragraph by paragraph.”
After nearly two months of public review, only half-a-dozen residents were in attendance at Monday’s meeting, nowhere near the standing-room-only crowd at City Hall last November. Bobbie Beese, a property owner in Millwood’s historic district, raised questions about a section in the ordinance that placed the responsibility of clearing “the area between the paved street and the property line including sidewalks, snow removal, landscaping and parking areas” upon the property owner.
“Are we really supposed to shovel away all these snow berms?” Beese asked.
After 61 inches of snow fell on Spokane County in December, municipal leaders like Spokane Valley Mayor Rich Munson and Spokane Mayor Mary Verner said it was unreasonable to expect citizens to tunnel through the frozen layers piling up outside residential and commercial buildings.
Millwood Council Member Richard Schoen agrees.
“When we have 4 feet of snow, it’s not exactly practical to ask you to shovel that away,” he said.
Werst said the section regarding residents maintaining a safe passageway was patterned after similar standards in cities like Spokane, Colville and Cheney.
The Millwood Public Works Department maintains responsibility for plowing public streets during the winter months. Public Works Director Cleve McCoul said city vehicles have cleared Millwood roads over 10 times already this year. McCoul said his department would provide warnings to those who violate the new ordinance before calling in code enforcement.
Before the ordinance was passed, Shirene Young, representing Inland Empire Paper Co., questioned how Section 5C – outlining standards for frequent-use hauling – would affect daily operation of the paper mill’s delivery trucks. Werst said the provisions were in place to protect against the potential disturbance of residential streets and not main thoroughfares like Argonne Road, the primary arterial for trucks headed to and from Millwood.
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By
Craig Howard
