Public Works staff told the finance committee the department is prioritizing sidewalks, preventive maintenance and data-driven asset management to improve safety and reduce emergency repairs.

“By ordinance, it is technically the homeowners responsibility to maintain, those sidewalks,” the public-works presenter said while describing an active program to repair saw cuts and panel replacements and a dedicated concrete crew.

Key points:
- Sidewalk program: staff reported roughly 8,000 saw cuts and 6,000 panel replacements on record, and said last year the group completed about 1,100 saw-cut repairs; recent weekly production topped 100 saw cuts in one week. Staff noted the city is proactively repairing sidewalks for safety despite homeowner maintenance ordinances.
- Pavement and condition assessment: the city is using an AI tool (Biolytics) to capture pavement images and produce PASER-style condition ratings to guide resurfacing and preventive maintenance priorities.
- Sanitary system: the department runs inflow and infiltration inspections with CCTV to find and repair problem pipes (emergency repairs are several times more expensive than preventive work); staff said proactive repairs reduce treatment-plant flows and delay capacity expansion.
- Odor control: a chemical (calcium nitrate) program implemented upstream of problematic lift stations has substantially reduced odor complaints (from about 15–20 per week historically to near zero in treated areas, staff said).
- Lift stations: the city operates 53 lift stations and continues pump, valve and panel upgrades with asset-management planning.

Committee members asked about ADA and crosswalk improvements in specific neighborhoods; staff said some crosswalks require intersection work to meet ADA standards and are queued with the engineering department. A request for a temporary railing at a storm‑drain hazard produced an answer that staff had solicited quotes and hoped to have installation before the end of the construction season if budget allowed.

Ending: staff said the data-driven condition-assessment work will inform next year’s resurfacing packages and help align public-works work with engineering projects to maximize value.