John Avey, a local concrete contractor, told the Council Bluffs City Council that new emphasis on a SUDAS sidewalk detail requiring a 12-inch "thickened edge" where sidewalks abut the curb is increasing costs for homeowners and may be unnecessary in residential settings.

The matter matters because the requirement changes repair and replacement costs for residential sidewalks and because the city uses SUDAS (the statewide municipal standard) as its construction manual; any deviation raises questions about cost, durability and legal risk.

Avey, who identified himself as the owner of a concrete company and gave his address to the record, said the thickened edge detail—described in the meeting as 12 inches deep by 12 inches wide that then feathers back to the standard 4-inch sidewalk—adds substantial materials and labor costs. He cited a recent bid in which a homeowner would pay "almost $2,000 extra just in concrete and labor" for the thickened edge. Avey suggested alternatives such as adding a few pieces of rebar to increase flexural strength, and he warned that in freezing climates the heavier thickened edge could lead to differential frost movement and cracking at the change in section. "This is just one thing that doesn't make sense," Avey said.

A councilmember asked whether the change is recent; Avey said it has become enforced more strictly this year and that the detail historically applied to commercial work. A staff member responded that the city adopted the SUDAS manual and that deviating from SUDAS could expose the city to legal risk: "SUDAS really protects the city. And so if we vary from the SUDAS requirements, then attorneys can litigate against the city because SUDAS recommended one standard and we agreed to a lesser standard." The staff member said they would follow up and invited Avey to share contact information.

No council action was taken at the meeting on the sidewalk standard. The staff member asked Avey to provide contact information and said staff would review the concern and follow up with the contractor.