It’s mid-December, and we have already experienced two dreadful snowfalls. The first brought most of Butler County 5 inches. Just to aggravate snow-haters, the second one dumped 10 inches of it Wednesday, whether you consider it fresh white powder or maybe miserable stinking stuff, if you are more like us.

But it only took two snowfalls to bring the protesters out to scream about first the road conditions but also the sidewalk conditions.

We are in the delivery business, and we know how difficult it can be for our drivers and carriers to complete their tasks if driveways and sidewalks are not cleared in a reasonable amount of time.

The safety of the people serving you should be a high priority, and most people take care so as not to put delivery people at risk and also any neighbors who may need to walk by.

The city of Butler has an official snow removal ordinance, although it seldom has to be invoked. In simplest terms, you have 12 hours after a snowfall to remove all snow and ice from your sidewalks. This applies to residential as well as businesses and churches in the area. Since the snow ended around 1 in the morning Thursday, we all had until 1 or 2 in the afternoon to do our civic duty and make the sidewalks safe, or at least passable.

I can’t imagine the city officials were going to bother anyone about this until at least Friday morning, but the actual ordinance says 12 hours after the snowfall. Failure to do your responsibility can result in a warning notice and then a fine.

It should never come to that. We all need to be watchful about unsafe conditions, and we need to keep our neighborhoods safe. The conditions at 9 a.m. Thursday along Main Street ranged from great (almost dry) to horrible. (Don’t these owners care if someone falls and sues them?)

Realistically, the sun had only been up a couple of hours, and some people were caught off guard by the severity of the storm, so let’s give them a break. But all city sidewalks need to be cleared promptly so citizens can navigate them in a safe manner. Poor conditions should not add to the problems that merchants have getting people to come to their stores.

Following the rules will keep everyone safer, and you will be looked on as a good neighbor, too. And please wear your mask.

— RV