PRIEST RIVER — City Council members approved an ordinance Monday night that will allow for alley maintenance by the city under certain circumstances.

“There are not a lot of these situations in the city,” said Priest River Mayor Jim Martin. “Most of them have a street fronting their property where they can park, this is just for those very unique situations where (the alley) is the only access to a property.”

The discussion initially came up during the Oct. 21 council meeting by citizen request, with the primary concern being maintenance for city residents who can only access their properties through an alleyway.

The city’s policy states that rights-of-way adjacent to property not maintained by the city is the responsibility of the property owner whose property abuts the right-of-way. In the case of alleyways, maintenance is required by the adjoining land owners to keep the alleys clear of debris, vehicles, weeds and other obstructions.

Under the new ordinance, a property owner may petition City Council for alley maintenance and snow removal if the alley serves as the sole vehicular access to a parcel of property, and the sole access to the property was in existence prior to Dec. 31, 2019.

If the petition is granted, the city will grade the alley annually on an as-needed basis, and snow will be removed for the alley in the same manner and time frame as third-priority streets, which are primarily residential.

Also under the ordinance, no building permits will be issued to a property owner without access from an existing road or a new proposed roadway approved by the city. This will eliminate any need for the city to provide alley maintenance for future construction, Martin said.

“I think we have covered all the provisions … Having the requests come through the council, at least we can have those discussions,” Martin said.