Dartmouth Town Meeting to vote on a 24-hour sidewalk snow rule, $300 fines and a police tow rotation

DARTMOUTH Dartmouth property owners would have 24 hours after a storm to clear snow from the sidewalks in front of their land, or face a fine, under a bylaw that goes to Town Meeting on Tuesday night. Article 15 is one of eight articles on the Oct. 20 warrant that change town rules without a new appropriation, according to the Town Clerk's posted packet.

Sidewalk snow

Under Article 15, every owner or occupant of land next to a hard-surfaced sidewalk would have to clear it within 24 hours of the later of two moments: when snow stops falling "at an accumulating rate," or the end of a declared snow emergency. The rule would also cover snow that slides off a building. The fine would be $25, but $300 where the abutting land is "either a commercial property, or a property within one mile of a public school." Each day counts as a new violation. Police would enforce it, and the Superintendent of Public Works could as well.

The Finance Committee, which recommends the article 6-0-0, wrote that the changes "are intended to improve pedestrian safety and ensure sidewalks remain accessible following winter storms."

Towing after crashes

Article 11 would require any company that tows for the police after a crash, a parking violation, or when a car cannot legally be driven or is blocking traffic, to hold a yearly license from the Chief of Police. The chief would set a rotation so each licensed company is on call an equal number of days, with one company on call per day. The warrant text caps the number of licenses at five. The Finance Committee's summary describes the limit as six; the article's own wording is what Town Meeting would adopt. A revoked company could not reapply for three years. Tows a driver arranges without police involvement would not be covered.

Fines and other rules

Article 13 would set a $300 fine for each violation of the Board of Health's tobacco and inhalable products regulations and of the Board of Public Works rules for the town water system. Article 16 would set a $300 fine for domestic animal violations, with a separate fine for each animal, each responsible person and each day. A first offense, or one more than 24 months after the last, would bring a written warning.

Article 12 would let the Board of Public Works write and change the water system's rules without a Town Meeting vote. Article 6 would create a Police Cruiser Revolving Fund, starting in fiscal 2028, fed by fees for cruisers used on paid details. The Finance Committee wrote that it would reduce "the need to fund those costs through the Police Department maintenance budget." Article 14 would add a seasonal beach manager at $24 to $28 an hour, paid from Parks and Recreation revenue, the committee says. Article 17 would make Board of Health members the town's Soil Conservation Board.

Where the boards stand

The Select Board recommends all eight articles by 5-0-0 votes. The Finance Committee recommends Articles 6, 14 and 15 by 6-0-0 and the other five by 7-0-0. The warrant's other nine articles ask for about $11.3 million in borrowing, spending and transfers by our count of the packet, not counting $208,642.73 in union contract costs drawn from an existing stabilization fund. A separate story covers them.

How to follow it

Dartmouth uses representative Town Meeting, so Town Meeting representatives, not all voters, cast the votes. The meeting starts at 7 p.m. at Dartmouth High School, 555 Bakerville Road, and Dartmouth Community Television carries it live on Channel 18. The Finance Committee meets there at 6:45 p.m. The Town Clerk's office is at 508-910-1800, and Town Administrator Cody Haddad's office is at 508-910-1813.

Label: Reported by us, from the town's posted records.