St. Paul homeowners getting slapped with big fines for snow-covered sidewalks
ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Homeowners in St. Paul are responsible for clearing their own sidewalks. But for some people, that's impossible.
"I thought I was keeping up enough with it, that it wasn't a problem," said Timothy Banks, who lives in the Frogtown neighborhood.
He was able to clear a path along his sidewalk, but the ground is still frozen and snow packed.
"I actually left a little bit of the snow, this last minimal snow we had, on top of the ice just because it provides some grip," said Banks.
Banks is limited on how much he can shovel because of chronic back pain. Despite his efforts, the St. Paul Department of Safety and Inspections sent him a notice on Friday telling him someone complained about his sidewalk, and he is responsible for clearing it within 24 hours.
If he can't clear it, the city will send a crew and charge him $160 per hour for snow removal and $80 per hour for pouring sand and salt.
"For me, it was a threat!" said Banks. "It was a monetary penalty for something I can't deal with."
There is a free option for those who need the assistance in St. Paul. It's a group of volunteers called "Saintly City Snow Angels."
"It's for people that are, you know, don't have the money for a professional snow removal and they're disabled or unable to shovel it," said Lynn Meredith, who was a volunteer out shoveling Banks' sidewalk on Monday afternoon.
Meredith lives downtown in a high rise and doesn't have a driveway or sidewalk of his own to clear, so he's helping others who do.
"I love to shovel. I just do, I'm weird," said Meredith.
It's angels like him who will help homeowners avoid big bills this winter.
"It's great that people will do something like this for somebody that needs help," said Banks, "Hey, that's Minnesota."
Any senior or individual with disabilities should contact the St. Paul Department of Safety and Inspection directly at 651-266-8989 so they can work with you on a case-by-case basis.
To connect with Saintly City Snow Angels, join their Facebook group.
