Property owners are usually given the responsibility to clear snow in front of their homes. But the City of Pärnu said times have changed and residents now expect better services from their council.

In Pärnu, those who live on bus routes – which total 80 kilometers – are already exempt as the council has taken over the job. The street network in the city center is more than 230 kilometers long.

"Another big problem area is that the pavements are not of standard width, we have a lot of pavements where there are electric poles in the middle of the pavements or even steps coming out of the house," explained Pärnu Deputy Mayor Irina Talviste.

Residents who spoke to "Aktuaalne kaamera" said sidewalk maintenance should be the council's responsibility.

"Old people cannot cope, I'm the same myself," said Aili.

"It would certainly make sense for the municipality to do this, the question is what it will cost and where the money will come from," said Priit.

The Association of Estonian Cities and Rural Municipalities (Eesti Linnade ja Valdade Liit) said the biggest concerns are money and equipment. However, several municipalities in Estonia already organize winter sidewalk maintenance themselves.

"What functions and how they perform them, and to what extent, I cannot say or describe here. What could be said is that those who have tried and taken over the functions, one of which, I would point out, is Võru," said the union's Kalle Toomet.

The southeastern city of Võru changed its policy in 2021 and took over clearing all the sidewalks in the city.

"The reason was that the condition of the city's pavements was very uneven," said Risto Aim, deputy head of the Võru City Economy Department. "The amount that the city of Võru pays out each month is €17,000. This is a very good investment in our own people, so that people do not have to get up and clean early in the morning before they go to work."

The City of Pärnu said further decisions will be had when a cost estimate has been presented at the start of March.

"I have an earlier estimate that it could cost the city between €800,000 and €1.3 million. And the issue with the sources of funding is that it's going to come from something. But at the expense of what, we'll find out when it's on the table, how much it's all going to cost," Talviste said.

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