Milford committee backs cost-sharing sidewalk repair program, will ask council to review

The Milford Sidewalk Committee voted to forward a final draft of a sidewalk-repair program to the Milford City Council for discussion, recommending that sidewalks remain owned and managed by property owners while the city adopt a cost-sharing payment approach and a low-income repair account.

Committee members and staff said the program would continue to treat sidewalks as private property responsibility while creating a city-administered payment program and a low-income assistance account. A staff member summarized the committee's position: "sidewalks should continue to be owned and managed by residents." The committee asked staff to present the document to council for discussion on Wednesday; final approval would require council action.

The program text under review proposes that the city and resident split repair costs at a percentage to be chosen by council; staff highlighted a 50/50 split as the original recommendation but presented alternate examples (40/60, 30/70, 20/80). Staff gave a cost example: about 50 linear feet of frontage equals roughly 250 square feet of repair, with a total estimated cost of $5,000. Under a 50/50 split, that would be $2,500 to the resident and $2,500 to the city; a 40/60 split would be $2,000 resident / $3,000 city; 30/70 would be $1,500 resident / $3,500 city; 20/80 would be $1,000 resident / $4,000 city. Staff also noted a financing option: the city can amortize resident shares over five years interest-free (for example, $2,500 divided by 60 months).

The committee discussed exceptions and scope. Staff said every street in the city was inspected, though notices have not been issued for all streets; the remaining streets identified in the most recent inspection include South Walnut, Lakeview and Northwest Front. The committee specified the program applies only to concrete sidewalk repair and replacement; aesthetic upgrades (for example, replacing brick with concrete for preference rather than hazard) would remain the property owner's responsibility.

The draft includes an option for a low-income sidewalk account and a path for very-low-income residents to apply for full coverage. Staff said the current proposal would require applicants to provide a copy of their most recent federal income tax return to verify eligibility, though the committee discussed alternative qualification criteria if the committee or council prefers not to require tax returns. The draft also states there would be no reimbursement to residents for the previous two residential payments.

Committee members raised code language concerns. A staff member said the current city code (referred to in the meeting as "section b") could be clearer: as written it both allows the city to pay and also grants discretion to the city engineer on when property owners must pay. The committee asked staff to refine ambiguous code language before council consideration.

Budget context: staff said sidewalk replacement is incorporated into the annual road rehabilitation program. The approved FY25 CIP included $388,000 for sidewalk replacement and gap repairs; in FY25 the city replaced about 1,000 linear feet of sidewalk that did not cost residents anything because the work was funded through road rehabilitation dollars.

Next steps: the committee agreed to present the edited program and possible code revisions to the Milford City Council for discussion. Staff will provide the street-by-street inspection list on request and will adjust program language based on the committee's clarifications before seeking council approval.