*HIGHER STANDARD FOR SNOW CLEARING *

CITY council has backed a call to ramp up snow-clearing for residential sidewalks, while moving forward a request to greatly increase the annual snow-clearing budget.

Council voted Thursday to refer the call to raise the annual ice and snow control budget to $54.2 million, from around $35 million, to next year’s budget process.

*The vote also approves a plan to spend an extra $216,000 in 2023, plus $552,000 or more per year from 2024 through 2027, to ramp up snow-clearing for residential sidewalks and pathways.*