Canton Township opens public hearing on 2025 sidewalk repair program after residents raise cost, notification and county-responsibility concerns

Canton Township Board of Trustees on March 25 opened a public hearing on the 2025 sidewalk repair program, heard about a half-dozen residents' concerns over cost, inconsistent markings and whether Wayne County should pay, and then adopted a resolution requiring replacement of sidewalks in the listed subdivisions and miscellaneous locations.

The hearing matters because the program uses a special assessment approach that can require homeowners to pay for sidewalk replacement in front of their property; board members said the program exists to reduce township liability from trip-and-fall claims while giving homeowners options for payment or to hire their own contractors.

Erica Hidalgo, staff engineer with the township's engineering services division, described the program's background, schedule and procedures. Hidalgo said the program started after a trip-and-fall liability ruling in 1999 and that the township's sidewalk program is a multi-year, zone-based cycle currently entering its tenth year. She said Zone 9 is scheduled for 2025 and named subdivisions on the list including Carriage Hills, Pickwick Village, Willowbrook Village, Willow Creek (Zones 4 and 13), Willow Veil and other miscellaneous locations. "If you decide to hire an independent contractor, you need to pull a permit with Wayne County to do that work," Hidalgo said, and added that the township allows homeowners 60 days after notice to elect to do the work privately.

Hidalgo explained the marking system: red spray paint indicates sections the township will replace as its maintenance responsibility and green indicates homeowner responsibility. She said inspectors mark sections to meet Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards and try to minimize repairs; if a homeowner does nothing, the township's contractor will perform the work and the township will bill the homeowner afterward. She described defects that trigger replacement—spalling, cracking, ponding, displacement and slope/back-pitch issues—and said work is weather-dependent, typically beginning in May and projected to finish by August. "The contractor will take that cost upon themselves" if damage occurs during construction, she said.

Residents voiced several recurring concerns. Michelle Brewer, a special-education teacher and Canton resident, challenged the township's slope expectations and said higher local requirements create an unfair cost burden: "If you're getting your sidewalk replaced because of 2.5 or, you know, 3% — you guys are exceeding the expectation that is required and we're getting charged for that." Hidalgo replied with the program's technical interpretation: she said a typical walking slope limit is 2% and that other ramp or longitudinal slope rules differ, noting a curb-to-sidewalk ramp has a higher maximum.

Other residents said they received little advance notice beyond spray-painted marks, pointed to inconsistent marking across the same subdivision, and described repeated replacements allegedly caused by the same street trees. Diane Cantini, whose mother lives in Canton and receives the bill, said the assessment presents a hardship: "I'm paying a house payment. The house payment is almost my entire Social Security check... I just don't think this is fair at all." Several speakers asked whether Wayne County should pay for sidewalks in the county right-of-way; multiple residents said portions of sidewalk damage were caused by trees the county or developer planted.

Lucas Walsh and other residents sought clearer documentation and reinspection options after seeing seemingly worse sections unmarked elsewhere in their neighborhoods. Walsh asked whether work that increases the cost during construction could be charged to homeowners and whether scheduling could be coordinated around personal events (Walsh noted an expected May birth): "So does that mean that we're gonna end up parking in the street for, you know, 1 week, 2 weeks?" Hidalgo and board members said the township would work with residents individually on scheduling.

After public comment the board closed the hearing and moved to adopt the advertised resolution requiring sidewalk replacements as listed and published. Clerk Seager moved the motion, supported by Treasurer Slavens; the board called the question and the motion passed. Treasurer Slavens and board members reminded residents of payment options: assessments can be placed on the winter tax roll and paid over five years. Trustee comments reiterated that the township ordinance and the program were adopted to limit liability and that homeowners may choose their own contractor provided the work meets township standards and necessary permits are pulled.

What the board adopted and next steps - The board adopted the attached resolution requiring replacement of sidewalks in the subdivisions and miscellaneous locations shown on the published list (resolution number referenced at the meeting as "2020Five-nine"). - Homeowners may elect to hire their own contractor and must obtain Wayne County or building permits as appropriate; work done privately must meet the township's standards and be completed within the timetable specified in the program notice. - If homeowners do not perform repairs, the township contractor will perform the work and the township will bill the homeowner; invoices are mailed after work and can be placed on the tax roll with up to a five-year payment plan. - Hidalgo said residents can request re-evaluations; she keeps a list of reevaluation requests and schedules grouped site visits with inspectors.

The board's action sets the program in motion for the listed Zone 9 areas; Hidalgo said she will be available after the meeting to schedule site visits and meet homeowners individually to review markings and answer permit questions. Treasurer Slavens reminded residents that invoices are often mailed in October–November with a due date the following year, advising homeowners to check the invoice year carefully if they consider tax-roll financing.