Editorial: Snow removal is a basic service that Indianapolis must provide

Few issues get residents of a community more riled up than potholes and snow plowing. And people in Indianapolis are riled up—with good reason.

Despite more than 8 inches of snow across the region earlier this month (and a few inches more days later), Mayor Joe Hogsett’s administration opted not to hire contractors to plow snow from neighborhood streets. The Department of Public Works attributed the decision to a change in policy several years ago that limited when the city would pay to clear residential streets.

Residents and many neighborhood leaders have howled in protest. And some of the city-county councilors who represent them are calling for change.

We agree that change is warranted. It’s ridiculous that a city the size of Indianapolis doesn’t have a plan for clearing the streets in residential neighborhoods.

We acknowledge that clearing streets is easier said than done.

Urban areas—where the streets are narrow and many residents park along them—make plowing a challenge. Running a plow down an inner-city street can block residents’ drives or make it necessary to shovel out cars. Piles of snow can make it even harder to put out the trash.

Indianapolis also doesn’t get a lot of snow. From 1991-2020, annual snowfall averaged 25.5 inches. The heaviest month is January, with an average of 8.8 inches of snow. That’s 8.8 inches for the entire month—not on one day. And the city has had less snow in recent years, not more.

Plus, clearing snow is expensive. And DPW already struggles to cover all its responsibilities.

Still, the ability to clear snow in neighborhoods is crucial. We’re not Atlanta or Houston or Miami, where snow either doesn’t happen or is freakishly unusual. This is Indiana, where the weather is unpredictable, and winter is real. We might not have a lot of snow or as much snow as in the past, but Indianapolis is going to get snow again. And residents need to have it cleared.

Residents need to get to school and to work and to the grocery store—safely. That is a core responsibility of government.

But again, we know paying for snow removal is tough at a time when state officials are—again—debating how or whether to reduce tax revenue for local governments. When the Indiana Legislature has declined again and again to change the state’s road funding formula to stop favoring rural areas at the expense of urban ones. When we’re entering an era in which the federal government is likely to cut back on the money it is sending to local governments.

But Indianapolis can’t be a community that grows, that attracts new residents, that attracts companies and investments if it can’t get the basics down. Snow removal is a basic. We urge the Hogsett administration and the City-County Council to figure out how to get it done—before the next time Mother Nature comes calling.•

__________

To comment, write to ibjedit@ibj.com.