Hundreds of sidewalks in Lansing are covered in ice since homeowners never cleared them after last week's storm. Under the snow-removal ordinance, the city is supposed to clear it after 48-hours and bill the owners.
More than a week late, many sidewalks in Michael Morofsky's Colonial Hill neighborhood aren't clear.
"Haven't even put forth effort," Morofsky said.
Inspectors are only starting to cite homes on Morofsky's street and he's concerned that's as far as they'll go.
"Once they put a sticker on the house they have to have someone come by and see if it's done or not, then they clear it. The problem I've had is them not following up and getting that done," Morofsky explained.
With melting and refreezing there's a thick layer of ice covering many sidewalks, plus a fresh coat of snow making things even more slippery.
"We don't have the resources to go out and tag all 4,200 parcels in the city 24 hours after the snow event," said Public Service Director Chad Gamble.
Gamble says the city is doing it's part. So far it's handed out 242 citations and Gamble says the city tries to be back the next day to clear the snow if it hasn't been done.
Gamble says the department targets heavily walked areas but it does rely on neighbors calling it to let his crews know where the sidewalks aren't cleared. He's also asking neighbors to help each other by letting someone know about the ordinance or helping them shovel out.
"It's very important to us that we react to those very quickly. We are almost done entering those and inspecting those," Gamble said. "It does take time, even with multiple crews out there."
Until that happens Morofsky is just taking it slow, and hoping more people shovel out the next time it snows.
