Willow Glen Resident

News

Sidewalk Repair Grant program gets axed as part of budget cuts

By Eli Segall

A grant program that reimburses San Jose residents for sidewalk repairs was eliminated from the city's 2007-08 operating budget by staff in the transportation department looking to cut costs in a city budget facing a $16 million shortfall.

The city council approved the upcoming year's budget on June 19.

"It was a tough decision to make," transportation department spokeswoman Linda Crabill Byrne said. "We know it's a popular program."

The Sidewalk Repair Grant, available to single-family homeowners only, has issued more than 17,000 grants totaling $15 million to help residents offset the cost of fixing damaged sidewalks, said Alex Mardwinow, principal construction inspector for the San Jose Transportation Department.

However, the city manager's office has asked each department to look for ways to help ease the city's general fund deficit.

Eliminating the grant, which was introduced in 1999, is the culmination of three years of cuts, Mardwinow said. From 1999 through 2004, the city offered a full refund for the amount paid to contractors for sidewalk repairs. In 2004-05, homeowners were reimbursed a maximum of $2,000. The past two years the cap was $1,000.

Roughly $687,000 was allocated last year for the grant, down from a program peak of $3 million in 2000, Mardwinow said.

"It's to a point now that if you cut the program any more, there isn't any program left," he said.

One resident who received a partial refund for sidewalk repairs was not disturbed by news of the grant's elimination. Her sidewalk, she said, has been damaged repeatedly by overgrown tree roots, and she gave up trying to fix it.

"We've paid a fortune to get it done," said Marilyn Anacker, who lives on Naglee Avenue across the street from the Municipal Rose Garden. "There are just some things you have to live with."

To fix a sidewalk, property owners must contact the transportation department and file a complaint. A city inspector then visits the site to determine what, if any, repairs are needed. If the damage is minor, such as small cracks, the city will make the repairs and foot the bill. If the damage is significant, such as tree roots pulling up sidewalks, the property owner must arrange for a contractor from a city-approved list.

Property owners then pay for the work and, under the grant program, receive a refund from the city.

Commercial properties, apartment buildings, condominiums and rental homes follow the same procedures but are ineligible for the grant and have to foot the entire bill.

In addition, if the city determines that a sidewalk needs repairs, the work must be done. The property owner has 60 days to complete the work or else the city does it and bills the property owner.

Currently, 69 commercial and residential properties owe a collective $90,000 for these repairs, according to city figures.

San Jose residents have paid for sidewalk repairs "ever since the city had a sidewalk policy," said Mardwinow, who could only speculate when the policy was implemented. Most big cities charge residents for these repairs, while smaller cities often cover the costs, he added.

Anacker, who does not owe money for her repairs, remains frustrated at paying for damages caused by the tree she never planted on public property near the curb.

"My roots grow deep here," said Anacker, a lifelong San Jose resident, "except I didn't cause any trouble on my sidewalk."