Snowplowing Contractors Face Scrutiny

City officials in Buffalo, N.Y. are cracking down on unscrupulous snowplowing contractors by requiring these workers to have background checks and to be placed on a public registry.

Snowplowing contractors who do business in Buffalo, N.Y. would have to undergo police background checks and would be placed on a public registry under a law that sailed through the Common Council.

The bill's unanimous passage, coupled with Mayor Byron W. Brown’s earlier endorsement of tougher regulations, indicate that the measure will become law. Its sponsors believe that subjecting plowing contractors to greater scrutiny will discourage unscrupulous businesses from trying to take advantage of city property owners.

“This was a victory for the citizens of the city of Buffalo,” said representative Michael P. Kearns, who co-sponsored the new law with Majority Leader Richard A. Fontana.

Numerous complaints that poured into city hall offices following a December storm spurred some officials to discuss more stringent regulations. The city already requires plowing contractors to obtain licenses, but enforcement has been spotty. Only 120 licenses had been issued, and some officials estimated that several hundred contractors — if not more — do business in the city.

There are many “good contractors” out there, Kearns stressed. But he said there are also some fly-by-night plowers who have ripped off residents, including senior citizens.

“They know now that we are watching them,” Kearns said.

The new provisions would also apply to contractors that perform landscaping in the city.

Fontana said consumers need to be proactive before signing contracts with companies. He encouraged residents to demand to see their city licenses.

“If they cannot provide you with that information, think about doing business with someone else,” Fontana said.