Yes, it’s news

August 18th, 2008 at 10:15am Wally Haas

A couple of posters questioned whether Saturday’s driveway/sidewalk story was news.

Rockford finally enforcing an ordinance that’s been been on the books forever, an action that could cost you money, fits my definition.

Granted, this is my neighborhood. What’s frustrating to me, is how would a homeowner know what to do?

You look around and none of your neighbors have a sidewalk running through their asphalt driveways so you would naturally think you don’t need one either.

I talked to Ald. Joe Sosnowski about the issue a couple of weeks ago. He said contractors were mailed notices that the city would start enforcing the sidewalk rule. Fine, but if a contractor fails to comply, it’s the homeowner who’s on the hook. How were homeowners notified? You read in the story that one homeowner got the wrong message from City Hall.

This all makes me wonder what other ordinances the city may start to enforce that it’s never enforced before.  I’m all for enforcing the law, but how do you know what the law is when your eyes show you what the practice is?

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