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Kingston task force moves toward consultant-led sidewalk financing study after budget allocation
Summary
The Complete Streets Advisory Council was told city budget language places consultant funding for a sidewalk financing study in the engineering department. Members discussed scope needs — parcel frontage data, legal work for a potential referendum, and consultant team composition — and estimated planning costs.
Members of the City of Kingston Complete Streets Advisory Council were told at their first meeting of 2025 that the city budget now includes money to hire a consultant to advance a sidewalk improvement and financing program.
The council was briefed that the next step for the sidewalk task force is a consultant-led scope and that the funding has been placed in the city's engineering department budget. Council members discussed what the consultant should deliver and warned the work will require more than just an inventory: parcel-level frontage data, legal expertise to draft referendum language if needed, and accurate cost estimates.
A council member said the budgetary approval had been confirmed with city staff and that “the funding Was approved, and now it's part of the engineering department budget.” Members clarified the difference between tactical capital for low-cost traffic control — which the mayor has described as a separate $50,000 allocation — and the larger consultant work set up through the engineering budget. Council members asked that the consultant produce parcel frontage measurements so the city can calculate how to apportion costs under a sidewalk improvement district financing mechanism; staff reported the city currently maintains a sidewalk inventory at the street-block level and ADA ratings for segments but does not have parcel-frontage data.
The council discussed likely team needs for the request for proposals (RFP): engineers or surveyors to collect frontage, attorneys to draft possible referendum language, and finance experts to model repayment scenarios. One member said corners are a major ADA cost driver and cited a recent local average of about $15,000 per corner, underscoring why the council wants robust cost estimates before committing to a financing plan.
Members asked the staff contact to draft the RFP and to share a proposed scope with the council for comment. The council agreed to remain involved in scoping and to form a small subcommittee to follow the RFP process and consultant selection.
The task force will return to the council with an RFP draft and a proposed consultant selection schedule; staff said the work will be coordinated through the engineering department.
