LYNN – Those who neglect to clear heaps of snow and ice from their sidewalks are one step closer to being slapped with a fine, following a vote taken Tuesday by members of the City Council’s Ordinance Committee.Geared tow-ard strengthening snow removal laws to ensure pedestrian safety, the ordinance was appr-oved and is now on its way to the full council – much to the chagrin of one member.”I feel that this has been written too har-shly and that there should be a warning issued first,” said Ward 1 Councilor Wayne Lozzi. “I didn’t get a chance to read the proposal until Friday and the meeting moved pretty quick, so I plan to go to the full council on this.”Seemingly annoyed by Lozzi’s remark, Ward 3 Councilor Darren Cyr questioned why the councilor failed to previously address his concerns.”We’ve been working on this for awhile, so if anyone had issues, they were told to bring them to the meeting,” Cyr snapped.The ordinance, which was reviewed by the city Law Department, calls for a $50 fine for failing to remove snow and ice from sidewalks and a $100 fine for dumping snow back into the streets after they have already been cleared.Under the previous system, landlords were given four hours to remove accumulated snow from their sidewalks if the snow ceased falling between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m. With the proposed ordinance change, owners of commercial property must now clear sidewalks within three hours during snowfalls that occur between sunrise and sunset, while residential property owners will have 10 hours to do the same and ensure pedestrian safety.”I understand where the Department of Public Works is coming from, but I feel that if say a widow gets cited for the first time, she’ll be greatly intimidated by it,” Lozzi said. “She should be given a warning instead first and the chance to call GLSS (Greater Lynn Senior Services) for help.”Cyr however remained steadfast on pushing the ordinance to law.”I’m sure if you drive around the city, you’ll find a ton of houses right now with snow on the sidewalks and kids who are going to have to walk in the streets to get to school,” he said. “And this ordinance also explicitly talks about depositing snow in the street. We’re trying to educate people.”Other communities aside from Lynn have also begun complying with a state standard established by the Architectural Access Board on how a sidewalk must be cleared, according to City Inspectional Services Director Michael Donovan.As a result, paths must now be cleared wide enough for a pedestrian pushing a stroller or using a wheelchair to safely pass. A minimum width of 42 inches has been established, which was not previously defined. In Lynn, the average sidewalk is 48 inches wide.