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Peculiar aldermen begin review of sidewalk, ditch and culvert maintenance rules
Summary
City staff presented a packet of local code excerpts and sample ordinances from nearby cities as the Board of Aldermen discussed whether the city, homeowners or homeowners associations should be responsible for maintaining sidewalk strips, open ditches and culvert pipes.
Peculiar aldermen opened a policy review July 21 into who must maintain the grassy strip, sidewalks and culvert pipes between private property lines and the street after city staff told the board that existing city code leaves a “gray area.” The discussion was informational only; no ordinance was proposed or adopted at the meeting.
Why it matters: The board must choose whether to clarify the city code to make the city responsible for maintenance, to explicitly assign responsibility to homeowners, or to leave the current ambiguous practice in place. Several aldermen said that whichever path the board chooses will have budget and liability consequences.
City staff member Don Shepherd handed the board a packet that included excerpts of the city code, the International Property Maintenance Code, tree-maintenance language and examples from Harrisonville,…
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