The Carroll County Board of Supervisors may consider changes to the county’s snowplow/road treatment ordinance after receiving a slew of complaints following wintry weather near the beginning of February. District 2 Supervisor Mike Andersen introduced the topic at Monday’s meeting. Under current regulations, the county does not normally operate plows between 5 p.m. and 5 a.m. Andersen says the 5 p.m. cutoff may lead to challenges for commuters when afternoon storms blow through.
According to County Engineer Zac Anderson, the county routinely operates plows after the 5 p.m. deadline, as the ordinance grants the county engineer or his designee leeway to make that call. He says the storm earlier this month was an outlier.
The ordinance in question refers specifically to paved county roads, of which the county has around 250 miles. Each route takes about two hours to complete, depending on conditions. The concern isn’t the quality of work from the road crews. Rather, Supervisor Andersen wants to shift the operating window to cover people on their way home from work.
Engineer Andersen says that the supervisors could change the ordinance if they see fit, but it creates potential safety and liability hazards if plow drivers work multiple 12-plus-hour days in a row.
District 3 Supervisor Gene Meiners says it is difficult to battle Mother Nature, and residents can’t reasonably expect road conditions to be perfect 100 percent of the time, especially in winter.
The supervisors did not take formal action on the ordinance following Monday’s discussion. However, Board Chair Scott Johnson notes the county’s ordinances are up for recodification in September, so the board could consider adjusting it before the next winter season.
