Not a snowflake has fallen yet, but Anne Arundel County officials already are considering how to handle winter weather.

A bill before the County Council, introduced at County Executive Steuart Pittman’s request, seeks to ensure that homeowners and businesses do their part when snow falls.

The legislation, slated for a final vote Dec. 1, increases fines to $50 — from $10 now — for residents who fail to clear snow from the sidewalk in front of their properties within a day or two. Fines would rise to $125 for businesses. The measure also would shift enforcement authority from the Anne Arundel County Police Department to the county’s Department of Inspections and Permits.

Pittman described it as a common-sense measure.

“The snow removal bill is a direct response to feedback from residents, prioritizing public safety and accessibility across our county,” the Democrat said in a written statement. “By revising the complaint and enforcement process, we will establish a clear expectation that sidewalks must be cleared promptly after winter weather events so that our seniors, students, and individuals with mobility issues can safely navigate their neighborhoods.”

Some residents, however, aren’t so happy about the proposal.

And the council’s Republican members oppose the bill, meaning its fate lies with one undecided Democrat.

Glen Burnie resident Kyle Nordike wrote to the council that the bill’s “fine structure unfairly compares sidewalk snow removal to code violations like lawn maintenance or debris — issues that homeowners can control. Snowfall is not controllable, and residents who are away for work, vacation, or medical reasons could be unfairly penalized."

Others wondered how the snow removal would be enforced in a county where the population is aging.

In 2005, about 11% of Anne Arundel County residents were 65 or older, according to U.S. census data. By 2024, the share of seniors in the county had increased to roughly 17%.

Jo-Lynda Cravero, of Millersville, wrote to the council to say the proposed fines are “ridiculously high.”

“Some people, handicapped and elderly, cannot remove their own snow and it isn’t always possible to find someone who will do it even for pay,” Cravero wrote. “If there was an option for people unable to clear their own sidewalks to call an agency to come and do this (for a fee, of course,) then it might make sense but as it is, this is just elder and handicapped abuse.”

Amy Leahy, vice president of the Greater Severna Park Council, testified Monday that she worried about the potential for abuse in the complaint process.

“We are concerned that passing of this legislation could pit neighbors against each other as it involves complaints,” Leahy said.

Council member Shannon Leadbetter, a Republican who represents South County, said in an interview she is “very sympathetic to the intent” of the legislation — safety.

However, she said, “this just seems like a lot of government regulation in a lane that really could be solved by communities simply coming together and wanting to be good neighbors.”

Leadbetter said it would be difficult to enforce an amendment the council approved to ensure the bill applies to sidewalks outside government buildings, echoing residents who criticized the county’s handling of snow as recently as last winter.

“Until government is able to meet the same standard, I don’t know that we should be regulating on this level of detail on private citizens,” said Leadbetter, who opposes the bill along with fellow Republicans Amanda Fiedler and Nathan Volke.

The bill’s proponents, including council member Julie Hummer, who introduced the measure at Pittman’s request, believe many of the concerns are unfounded.

Hummer said that the county’s snow enforcement, much like rules that require residents to maintain their lawns and not leave trash strewn about, has always been complaint-driven.

“Most enforcement things are people calling in and reporting them because the county doesn’t have inspectors just driving through neighborhoods and saying ‘Aha!’” said Hummer, a Democrat who represents western Anne Arundel. “We’re just beefing up that snow enforcement. It’s not new.”

As for concerns about burdening seniors, Hummer said the bill gives discretion to inspectors.

“If they get there and find the person is 95 years old, they’re not going to fine them,” she said.

Hummer also described the legislation as reasonable. It would give people up to 24 hours after a snow event to clear their sidewalks, and up to 48 hours if more than three inches accumulate. If, after a complaint, inspectors find that a property is in violation, they issue a warning and give the resident another 24 hours to clear the sidewalk. Only after the next day can a fine be issued.

Hummer played down arguments that the bill would turn neighbors against each other.

“Complaints have made it sound like it’s Big Brother-type things,” Hummer said. “We just really want [sidewalks] to be safe.”

Council members Pete Smith and Allison Pickard, both Democrats, also support the bill.

That leaves Lisa Rodvien, the undecided Democrat who represents the Annapolis area.

Rodvien said she believes the impetus for the bill was the sight of a person in a wheelchair on busy Forest Drive because the sidewalks were covered after a snowstorm last winter. The incident happened near the city-county border, and the city of Annapolis already responded by strengthening snow removal regulations and increasing fines.

“I hope nobody would see that as acceptable,” Rodvien said.

She’s leaning toward supporting Hummer’s bill, but said she’s “not 100% confident that we’ve got the right approach.”

Rodvien said there’s a difference between sidewalks along a bustling thoroughfare like Forest Drive and those in a sleepy neighborhood.

“I’m wondering,” she added, “if there’s a way that we could more narrowly focus on the roads and sidewalks that pose the biggest safety hazard if they’re not cleared.”