With snow in the forecast this week, residents of Kalona, Wellman, and Riverside are encouraged to review their respective parking and snow ordinances.

During snow removal operations, the city of Kalona prohibits parking, abandoning, or leaving vehicles unattended on public streets, alleys, or city-owned off-street parking areas. Residents may resume parking when snow has been removed from said areas and the snow has ceased to fall. The city is authorized to remove vehicles that are in violation of the parking ban.

The City of Wellman will issue a snow emergency after two inches of accumulation downtown, and will go into effect two hours later, giving residents ample time to move their vehicles. The snow emergency will continue for 24 hours after the precipitation has stopped. Parking in the business district is only permitted from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m during this time. Vehicles found to be in violation of the ordinance may be towed and impounded.

In Riverside, a snow emergency is issued after snowfall of three or more inches. City policy requires residents to follow “odd/even” parking along designated routes where there is signage while the emergency is in effect. For the first 24 hours, parking is prohibited on the even side of the street on even days, and on the odd side on odd-numbered days. Parking is not allowed along snow emergency routes until the snow has stopped and the road is clear. Vehicles in violation are subject to ticketing, fines, and/or towing.

Property owners are also reminded to clear snow and ice from sidewalks in a reasonable amount of time. If not, the city may do so and assess the costs against the property owner. It is also prohibited to dump snow and ice from their property onto the street, as this may cause a driving hazard.