SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) – City Council members on Monday are scheduled to consider a proposal to penalize property owners an extra 25 percent on unpaid city fees for removing snow from sidewalks. The Sioux City Journal reports that the penalties would be levied on the unpaid fees added to the parcels’ property taxes.

City code requires owners to clear sidewalks within 12 hours after snow or ice has stopped falling. Noncompliance can result in a civil citation. If a sidewalk isn’t cleared after a 24-hour shovel notice is posted, a city contractor clears the sidewalk and the city bills the property owner for those costs.