Cincinnatians in seven West Side neighborhoods will soon be able to get damaged sidewalks repaired with city funds.
Council voted last week to approve the next city budget, which includes $100,000 for a sidewalk repair pilot program. Property owners are responsible for maintaining sidewalks, but the cost can be prohibitive — between $500 and $2,500 for a typical sidewalk outside a single family home.
"$2,500 for someone who's maybe living on a fixed income can be pretty hard to attain, and yet those people and everyone in our neighborhood deserve to be able to walk around, get around our neighborhoods, just like anyone else," Council member Anna Albi told WVXU.
Albi worked with city administration to identify seven neighborhoods where the median income is below $50,000. They’re also geographically small and close to one another to maximize efficiency.
- East Westwood
- Roll Hill
- South Cumminsville
- Millvale
- English Woods
- North Fairmount
- South Fairmount
When someone reports a damaged sidewalk to the city, that prompts an inspection to determine the condition. Minor damage is not typically flagged for repair, but if inspectors determine a sidewalk is hazardous, the property owner is notified and given two options: hire a contractor, or let the city take care of it with the cost billed to property taxes over a three-year, five-year, or 10-year period.
The pilot program will operate the same way, with inspectors determining if the damage is sufficient to warrant repairs. But instead of billing the property owner, the city will absorb the cost.
Albi says she's not sure how far $100,000 will go.
"It kind of depends on how many people call, how quickly, how big the repairs are," she said. "So this is truly a pilot in trying to see, OK, how far does this stretch? How many people can we help? And how do we make our neighborhoods more accessible?"
Only residential properties will be eligible for city-funded repairs. Requests submitted to the city's 311 program after July 1 can be part of the pilot program.
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