The program requires property owners to replace or repair damaged sidewalks in front of their homes, buildings or lots.
If property owners do not make the repairs, the city hires contractors to perform the work and then sends the owners the bill.
Damaged sidewalks are a safety hazard, annoying for pedestrians and hurt neighborhood aesthetics, said Fred Stovall, Dayton’s director of public works.
“Of course sidewalks improve the quality of your life in neighborhoods, same as when I pave the streets,” he said
The assessments may be a burden for some residents who are barely scrapping by and live in places like east Dayton, said Fred England, chair of the Southeast Priority Board.
He said many properties on the east side are used as rentals. He said many people have limited incomes and there are some neglectful or irresponsible landlords.
“A lot of people can’t afford” to keep up with city code to maintain their properties, he said.
The last time the city used the assessment program was in 2006, when it had $490,000 available.
The city replaced about 62,474 square feet of sidewalk, or about 2,500 blocks. It typically costs about $8 to $10per square foot to replace damaged sidewalks.
But the city shelved the program during the economic downturn, officials said. The city has only performed emergency “spot” repairs, mainly in the Central Business District, Stovall said.
Later this year, the city will identify neighborhoods to include in its sidewalk repair program, Stovall said. Typically, the city targets streets that are being repaved.
The city plans to spend about $250,000 from its capital general fund and $250,000 from previous sidewalk assessment payments.
Reinstatement of the program is sorely needed to remedy broken, uneven and faulty walkways that are tripping hazards and ugly to look at, Stovall said.
The city will provide impacted property owners with notice of the assessments after the curbs and sidewalks have been identified.
Citizens can pay to have the sidewalks repaired on their own. But if they do not take care of the work, the city will pay for the repairs and then forward on the invoices.
“You always have the opportunity to get the work done yourself,” Stovall said.
If the invoices are not paid within 60 days, the charges are placed on their property tax bills.
Property owners have one to 10 years to pay the assessments depending on the amount owed.
Ideally, the sidewalk assessment fund would be replenished when property owners make they payments, which can fund future sidewalk improvements
But since property owners have up to 10 years to repay, the fund has a limited cash flow in any given year, officials said.
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