The city owns the sidewalk adjoining your property, as well as the parking strip yet require you to pay for the maintenance unless the city causes damage, which may be the case here, BUT, what about damage done to sidewalks by city plows in NON arterial road neighborhoods? And why is this a reimbursement program? Why isn’t the city just doing the work and paying for it up front?
I have felt for a long time that the city should just pay to fix it’s own sidewalks and trim trees in the parking strip. Other cities have figured this out, and so can we.
Oh that’s right we spend millions bailing out private gyms ($12 million) and fiberglass thingies on the Pavilion ($6 million). Can you imagine the trees we could trim and the sidewalks we could fix with $18 million?
As per State Law, the City does NOT own the sidewalk in front of your house. The Sidewalk is placed on the “private property” side of the easement, which is why the property holder is in charge of maintenance, repairs, and replacement. This is the agreement the “landowner” agrees to upon subdividing their section of land, and being annexed into the city limits. The land is zoned into 1 acre-sized plots for residential use, and homes are placed on top of the land. The Landowner, Property Holder is then tasked with building the sidewalk, maintaining thee sidewalk, and repairing the sidewalk in future years, while the City becomes the partner, caretake of the easement between the sidewalks where the utilities are to be placed, with the street being built in between both sidewalks.
Rather than conflicting codes/orders combined with unenforceable hearings/fines, why not just fix it? It’s unfortunate that ‘Sioux Fails Policy’ makes for years of confusion without conclusion so a dictator mayor can finish his term saying he/she tried. That’s right SHE. A female mayor would recognize Home Rule Charter has been a disaster and Democracy must be restored.
And the city council can change that rule at any time
The city of Sioux falls does not know how to city. Period.