City Council Special Deliberation on Pedestrian Safety and Snow Removal - May 14, 2026

The Bloomington City Council held a special deliberation session on May 14, 2026, organized by Councilmember Flaherty, to explore opportunities for improving pedestrian safety and accessibility following snow events. The meeting included councilmembers, invited guests (Tim Street, Director of Parks and Recreation; Casey Carino, Council for Community Accessibility member; Steve Bolin, Transportation Commission Chair), and public commenters. Discussions covered city policies, constituent feedback, departmental operations, enforcement challenges, and potential policy, budgetary, and operational solutions.

Public Comments & Testimony

• James Ford (resident): Highlighted alley snow clearance gaps, tenant responsibility versus owner liability (lease clauses shifting duty), repeat offenders relying on annual warnings, and suggested a volunteer neighborhood coordinator for HND reporting.
• Zach Amberman (resident): Reported that his large apartment building never cleared sidewalks during major storm; advocated for fines per unit rather than per property, and higher fines for apartment buildings and HOAs to deter noncompliance.
• Retired plow driver: Expressed appreciation for city street department workers, complimented a police officer for giving him a warning instead of a ticket, and deferred further complaints to another time.

Discussion Items

• Review of City Goals and Policies: Councilmember Flaherty summarized relevant comprehensive plan goals (improving accessible pedestrian networks) and Bloomington Municipal Code Section 6.07 (property owner duty to clear sidewalks within 24 hours, 36-inch clearance generally, 54 inches downtown, enforcement by HND with fines starting at $50, escalating to $150 per year). Noted that city entities are also responsible; jurisdiction over Indiana University sidewalks was unclear.
• Constituent Feedback from Councilmembers:
  • Councilmember Daily: Complaints about monolithic sidewalks where plows push snow back onto cleared paths; concerns about equipment types and citation rates.
  • Councilmember Piedmont-Smith: Suggestions to increase fines (currently $50 is cheaper than hiring contractors), eliminate annual warning reset for commercial repeat offenders, and improve awareness of responsibilities.
  • Councilmember Rosenbarker: Danger of pushing pedestrians into streets, curb ramp blockages by plows, and private/commercial properties dumping snow onto pedestrian connections.
  • Councilmember Rallo: Bus stop inaccessibility, unclear responsibility for stops, need for an official signal when 24-hour clock starts.
  • Casey Carino (CCA): Feedback that city plow drivers often pile snow into accessible parking spaces; requested that accessible spots be cleared first.
• Departmental Feedback:
  • Parks and Recreation (Tim Street): Parks clears trails and facilities (B-line as top priority). Challenges with monolithic snow and order-of-operations issues. Positive feedback on B-line clearance. Noted difficulty in tracking linear feet cleared; suggested possible GIS tracking.
  • Housing and Neighborhood Development (HND): Enforcement is complaint-based, limited by staffing and the 24-hour window. Reported 275 complaints and 307 citations (discrepancy with 400+ U reports). Snow often melts before citations issued. Warnings issued first, though not explicitly in code.
  • Public Works (via written responses): Spent over $700K on snow removal; piloted clearing monolithic sidewalks on College/Walnut corridor and downtown curb ramps (limited effectiveness). Challenges with equipment for protected bike lanes, vendor availability, and staff overtime. Multi-use path responsibilities may be unclear to residents.
  • Planning and Transportation: Director Hiddle noted use of high-injury network for prioritization; monolithic sidewalks remain a costly challenge.
• Workshopping Solutions: Councilmembers and guests discussed multiple strategies:
  • Policy/Code Changes: Revise fine structure (higher fines for commercial properties, per-linear-foot or per-unit basis); eliminate annual reset for repeat offenders; clarify owner responsibility regardless of lease language; require clearance to trash bins and alley access.
  • Budget/Operations: Increase funding for equipment (smaller plows, snowblowers), explore mutual aid with other cities or IU, create a sidewalk operations plan, allocate staff for proactive enforcement on high-injury network.
  • Operational/Community: Leverage neighborhood associations and small grants for snowblowers; expand Snow Buddies program; develop a volunteer coordination system; consider city-operated sidewalk clearing (like Syracuse pilot); improve communication on snow event triggers and responsibilities.

Key Outcomes

• Councilmembers expressed intent to pursue code amendments, particularly regarding fine schedules and enforcement processes, with interest from Hopie Stasberg and Kate Rosenbarker.
• Councilmember Flaherty will follow up with department heads (HND, Public Works, Planning) and Bloomington Transit to clarify gaps and explore operational changes.
• Transportation Commission and Council for Community Accessibility will be engaged in further deliberation.
• Aim to have actionable changes (code updates, budget requests, operational adjustments) ready for the next winter season, with iterative progress through the 2026 budget cycle.
• No formal votes were taken; the session was a fact-finding and ideation workshop to guide future council action.