Sidewalks in priority areas of Parksville will be cleared after a snowfall as part of a new pilot project.
City council unanimously passed a motion to fund the project at $10,000 a year in 2025 and 2026, according to director of finance Jedha Holmes.
The city's transportation plan will provide direction on priorities in terms of accessibility and active transportation, she added.
After the two year pilot, the city will be able to draw up a "more fulsome policy", according to chief administrative officer Keeva Kehler. Staff can come back with recommendations and council will probably look at bylaw and policy changes at that point.
“This would give us the ability to identify, during a snowstorm where we need to get some support to clear the sidewalks, if it’s making it so that people are walking on the road,” she said during council's Nov. 18 meeting.
The priority for sidewalk clearing will be similar to how roads are plowed, with arterial streets and network streets being done first, according to Kehler.
Staff plan to bring a report about the pilot project to the Dec. 16 council meeting and council will determine a start date, according to Deb Tardiff, manager of communications for the city.
The pilot will be funded from property taxes and represents a property take hike of 0.05 per cent, according to Holmes.
The forecast property tax rate for 2025 is seven per cent, according to the city. Property tax rates and utility rates for the city will be set in the spring.
