Snow is a foreign object in Warrensburg.
But only if it is on the sidewalks.
Courtesy Town of Warrensburg (2020)
This is according to changes made in the Warrensburg zoning laws. The town board made the changes at their meeting Wednesday evening.
Snow on the sidewalk is now a “foreign object,” similar to an unused tricycle, that must be cleared so that pedestrians can walk.
Also, developers working within a “Hamlet Mixed Use” zone now can ask for “Special Use” permits, meaning the town’s planning board may consider how a developer or owner might use a property outside the uses already listed in the code.
Temporary structures erected may be up to 144 square feet--a 12-by-12 foot size--a larger size than previously. It now matches the county’s rules. Mobile homes were redefined to match state and federal regulations.
Donation bins that collect clothes or canned goods around town may now be removed by the town if they were placed without a permit.
This was part of a process to fix the codes that started in December.
At that time, Jim Hull, head of the town’s Planning and Code Enforcement Department, said too many of the codes were unclear, and people pushed back if his department tried to enforce them. Also, some rules did not comport with county, state or federal regulations.
On snow, he said at Wednesday evening’s meeting, the code says “foreign objects” must be cleared to allow pedestrians to travel. The code mentions a list of objects.
"I've had people say to me, 'It doesn’t say anything about snow,'" Hull told the board.
Similarly, the donation bins can become unsightly and the town does not know whose they are or who should be caring for them. Hull has wondered if some of the bins are not run by charities but by people who just try to collect free materials for resale.
A permit, he told the board, would require proof of the charity’s tax-exempt status and would allow the town to ask the permit holder to care for the donation bin properly.
Public comment was open on the issue, and the board waited to see if anyone wanted to talk on the chat function in the livestream, but no one did, so the board passed the measures.
Minutes later, on another matter, Town Clerk Pamela Lloyd said the chat function had not been updating and people had been commenting.
Town Supervisor Kevin Geraghty asked to hear what they said and addressed some concerns, but no change was made to the vote.
Two people on the chat commented, saying that the snow removal might be difficult for older people and that regulating bins might discriminate against poorer people who need the help. Geraghty said, with the donation bins particularly, that the object is not to stop the donation but to have a clear idea of who runs it.
“This is discriminatory to older and disabled people,” a person listed as Richelene Morey wrote. “Snow is not foreign to us!”
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