AUBURN – Owners of cars left parked on city streets during storms could face tougher penalties if the vehicles block snowplows, councilors said Monday.

Councilors suggested leaving the winter parking ban the way it is, but coming down harder on owners who leave their cars blocking plows.

“I’m reluctant to make many changes yet, this close to the winter,” Councilor Robert Hayes said. “But I don’t have a problem with taking a harder approach to making sure the cars are off the street and not left on someone’s sidewalk.”

They reviewed the ban and a proposal to adopt storm-by-storm bans Monday during a workshop discussion.

Under current rules, the city bans all overnight, on-street parking beginning Nov. 15. Staff suggested dropping that system in favor of a storm-by-storm ban. That would let people leave their cars parked on the streets for most of the winter, requiring them to move the cars if snow was falling.

Public Services Director Eric Labelle told councilors the ban created problems last winter in New Auburn. Some apartment buildings there don’t have off-street parking, leaving tenants with no parking after Nov. 15.

“We’ve had plenty of situations of people plowing areas on the front lawn or on the sidewalks to keep their cars,” Labelle said. In some instances, people cut down city trees to make room for their cars.

Police Chief Phil Crowell said police take a softer approach to enforcing the current rules. Police place notes on cars reminding people of the ban for the first few weeks, and will use information taken from car registrations to try to notify owners. They have cars towed as a last resort.

City Manager Glenn Aho suggested councilors not hurry to make the change.

“I’m afraid that if we hurry, we’ll make a mistake,” he said. “I’m a little apprehensive to start anything this late in game.”