JACKSON — This winter’s subfreezing temperatures and snow may be history, but officials in Jackson have amended the township code in a way that is expected to make snow-removal efforts easier in upcoming years.
Following a unanimous vote during the March 10 Township Council meeting, several new measures were added to the section of the municipal code that deals with no-parking areas during snow emergencies.
Councilman Kenneth Bressi said the changes were made after numerous instances in which police officers were dispatched to ask residents to move their cars from Jackson’s streets to make way for snow plows.
“In the last couple of storms, the Public Works Department would contact the Police Department and the police would begin knocking on doors to get people to move their cars,” Bressi said. “The coordination between the police and public works was really something.”
In recent years, municipal officials have examined ways in which snow removal can be made more efficient and safer for snow plow operators and residents.
According to Chapter 103, Section 22, of the township code, the mayor or the emergency management coordinator has the authority to declare and to rescind a snow-removal emergency, as well as to designate emergency parking areas for residents to move their cars.
In the past, Jackson officials designated streets on which residents were not allowed to park their vehicles during a storm when the use of snow plows was necessary. The recent amendments deleted that list of streets from the code book.
The revisions state that residents will have four hours from the issuance of the snow-removal emergency declaration to move their vehicles from all streets and roads in Jackson.
Following the four-hour window, any vehicles that remain parked on the streets will be subject to ticketing and towing. The vehicle’s registered owner will bear responsibility for paying the towing fees and the fines.
All sports equipment and trash cans must be removed from Jackson’s streets in the event of a snow-removal emergency.
Individuals who are found to be in violation of the ordinance will face a $60 fine for the first offense and a $120 fine for the second offense. For the third offense and subsequent offenses, violators will face a $250 fine and a maximum of 90 days of community service or imprisonment.
— Andrew Martins