We're counting the days
Bath to get tough on enforcing snow law
By ROB PRICE THE COURIER-ADVOCATE

Bath village street crew show a sense of humor with a snow mass piled on the north side of Pulteney Park in top photo. The village board asked the codes enforcement office to look into complaints of snow-blocked sidewalks, pictured above.

BATH - Snow-covered sidewalks in the aftermath of the Feb. 14 snow storm are making life tough for pedestrians in the Village of Bath.

The problem is a local law that identifies the street superintendent as being responsible for fielding complaints of unshoveled walkways.

Street Superintendent Jeff Muller is likely to be occupied with plowing streets at the same time sidewalks are covered with snow, village Mayor David Wallace observed last week during the village board's regular monthly meeting.

"We get these complaints when Jeff is at his busiest," Wallace said.

The board's fix was to assign responsibility for winter sidewalk complaints to Codes Enforcement Officer Ralph Senese, who now will contact property owners whose sidewalks need shoveling.

Muller told village board members he continues to receive complaints of impassable sidewalks, even though the

PHOTOS BY ROB PRICE

snow storm occurred more than a week ago. Village law allows property owners 12 hours of daylight in the aftermath of a snow storm to clear the walkways adjacent to their property. Otherwise, village personnel will clear the sidewalks, and the village will bill the property owner.

Senese's appointment will eventually require a legislative act of the board; however, Wallace recommended postponing

approval of a formal amendment until a later date, when the board may be able to include the legislation in a larger package of legal matters.

Separately, board members unanimously approved raising the minimum qualifying income for senior citizens and disabled individuals that would qualify those individuals for village property tax exemptions.

The minimum income was raised from $19,000 to $22,500

and follows similar action by the Bath town board and the Steuben County Legislature.

The separate actions impact any senior citizen or disabled resident of Bath who earns up to 22,500. That individual would receive an exemption from county, village and town property taxes.

Residents with questions should contact the Bath town assessorís office in the Liberty Street municipal building.