McHenry Times

City of Harvard Administration Committee met Dec. 8.

Here are the minutes provided by the committee:

Chairwoman Haderlein called the meeting to order at 6:35 pm. Committee members present: Alderwoman Haderlein, Alderman Carncross, Alderman Gorman and Alderman Perkins. Also, present were Mayor Michael Kelly and City Administrator Nelson.

Public Comment

Carl Opper submitted an email stating: “Unfortunately, I will not be in town to attend the meeting. Attached are two photos of the sidewalk in front of the church from last winter. To reiterate my concern this is a major route for the kids to go to school. A crossing guard is provided at the intersection to the north. With the walk not being cleared, are we not concerned that people will be walking in the streets or crossing at unassisted intersections? I believe that a new ordinance is needed for clearing sidewalks particularly to start with the major school routes.”

Shoveling Snow

Alderwoman Haderlein researched information provided by CMAP. She discovered that only one town in McHenry County requires residential snow removal, while several communities require commercial properties to remove snow.

There was discussion regarding the difficulty of enforcing snow removal ordinances. We do not have the staff necessary to police the entire city every time it snows. Warnings and citations take too long to implement, and some residents simply can’t comply due to hardships associated with health, age, work schedules, etc.

Alderman Gorman stated that perhaps we shouldn’t look at the problem in an all or nothing way. Maybe we could require snow removal in areas where the most danger exists, for example, State and Federal highways, school areas, highly traveled city streets, etc.

The committee had concerns that implementing a partial program would be viewed as unfair by those property owners who are in the snow-removal-required zones, and a partial program would do nothing to solve the enforcement, or hardship issues.

At the end of the discussion, no action was taken.

New Business

City Administrator Nelson would like the Committee to codify past practice for beer gardens and use of sidewalks for restaurants and taverns.

The Committee discussed the 2022 Meeting Dates. The Budget Hearing Workshop is scheduled for February 12, 2022.

The Committee also discussed personnel transition.

A motion by Alderman Gorman, seconded by Alderman Perkins to adjourn the meeting. All ayes. Meeting adjourned at 7:21 pm.

https://www.cityofharvard.org/sites/default/files/fileattachments/administration_committee/meeting/14514/minutesadministration2021-12-08.pdf