Finance Committee - 12/26/2017 Page 3
ON THE QUESTION
Alderman Clemons
Is there a reason it’s going to the Board of Aldermen? Just curious.
Mayor Donchess
Yes. It was over the 10 percent allowable increase for CERF. They’re changing from F-250’s to F-350’s with
the big V plows on them so they’re more expensive. This has been approved by the Board of Public Works.
MOTION CARRIED
UNFINISHED BUSINESS — None
NEW BUSINESS — None
RECORD OF EXPENDITURES
MOTION BY ALDERMAN O’BRIEN THAT THE FINANCE COMMITTEE HAS COMPLIED WITH THE CITY
CHARTER AND ORDINANCES PERTAINING TO THE RECORD OF EXPENDITURES FOR THE PERIODS
DECEMBER 1, 2017 TO DECEMBER 15, 2017
MOTION CARRIED
PUBLIC COMMENT - None
REMARKS BY THE ALDERMEN
Alderman Clemons
| want to take this time, because | don’t want to do it at the Board of Alderman meeting, to discuss my
displeasure with the plowing over the weekend. | had gotten several texts/emails regarding the plowing
conditions in Ward 6. The issue seems to be that on the dead end streets the plows don’t come down until
after the storm has already passed. | can attest to this because | live on a dead end street. The issue that |
have with this is that in several cases the plows will go by on the cross streets one time, they'll come back; an
hour or two later, they'll go by on the cross street again, back and forth. This will happen during the duration of
the storm. And it isn’t until after the storm that — and usually after a phone call, to be quite frank — the plow will
come down the dead end. The problem that | have with this is that this makes a dangerous situation for
anybody who lives on those streets. And | don’t blame the plow drivers because I’m sure that this is some kind
of route system that has been put into place by the management at the DPW, because the streets that are
done are done very well, and when they get to our streets finally, they do a good job as well. So the issue isn’t
so much with the plow drivers, it’s with the way that it’s being done. | would suggest that the first order of
business for the Board of Public Works would be to address this issue in the future because you are putting
citizens at risk. When a plow goes by — for example, up on the intersection of Lovewell and Chestnut, if you
were to turn right and go down to the dead end portion of Chestnut, there are several dead end streets down
that way that weren’t touched at all, until the end of the storms. Some of those are quite hilly and it’s difficult to
get up those streets.
This is something that I’ve complained about in the past; | thought it was going to be addressed and it wasn't. |
hope that in the future the system for plowing can be looked at, because | don’t think it’s right that streets can
be ignored until the end of the storms, particularly when you can see the plow going by and passing your street
while your street sits ignored.
