Public concern about extending street sweeping parking restrictions year 'round in Bellevue has led to a proposal to amend the borough's ordinance to make sure the current schedule is maintained.

Parking restrictions currently are in place between April 1 and Nov. 30, during which time street sweeping and leaf clean-up occur. An ordinance allows officials to enforce a parking ban year 'round, however. Bellevue Council's safety committee proposed just that, arguing that the public works department would be able to continue cleaning streets, plus make street and curb repairs and snow removal, if the parking restrictions were extended.

Elected officials received a negative response from a number of residents concerned about the lack of parking in residential neighborhoods.

At Tuesday's regular council meeting, safety committee chairman David Gillingham Jr. said that the matter really was an issue for the public works committee, and he would no longer call for enforcement of the no-parking ordinance.

Council member Jane Braunlich took the matter one step further. A motion by Braunlich, seconded by Mark Panichella, was approved unanimously by council and authorized the solicitor to draft an amendment to the ordinance that would ensure that the current April-through-November parking schedule is maintained.