Medina City staff on Tuesday described how the city prioritizes sidewalk repairs, how homeowners may be billed, and how street projects and speed-limit changes are studied and funded.

City staff said the session was informational only; no votes were taken.

The meeting matters because residents have repeatedly asked who is responsible for damaged sidewalks, how urgent hazards are handled and how long larger street and signal projects can take. Staff described a year‑round inspection and prioritization process for sidewalks, options for temporary hazard mitigation, and funding sources for full street reconstruction.

City committee chair (name not specified) opened the meeting and said it was an informal, informational session. Pat, a city street‑department staff member, said the city and engineering staff have conducted walking surveys in older parts of town and place sidewalk segments needing replacement on an annual list using criteria in the city ordinance. "The biggest and most consistent one is the height differential, the tripping hazard. If it's 2 inches or greater, then that's the threshold that needs to be repaired or maintained," Pat said.

Nino, an engineering‑department staff member, said the sidewalk list is driven by both condition and complaint volume; this fall the highest priority areas include North Broadway, Hillview Way, Alexandria and Bristol. Pat and Nino said sidewalks damaged by city street trees or city utilities are handled by the city; otherwise property owners are responsible. "Property owners are responsible for their own sidewalk. The city steps in if the problem is caused by a street tree or a city utility, waterline, storm sewer," Nino said.

Jansen, the city forester referred to in the meeting as the person handling tree questions, described how tree roots lift sidewalks and the tradeoffs in repair approaches. He said crews can grind roots, make a lateral cut along the sidewalk edge or, in some cases, remove a tree—each option carries tradeoffs for tree health and liability. "It's either grind the root, grind the root and cut laterally, along the edge of sidewalk within the critical root zone, basically, or remove the tree," Jansen said. He added that trees removed are replaced where the site permits and with species appropriate for the location.

City staff described three operational practices for hazards and repairs: 1) temporary ramping with asphalt to remove an immediate tripping hazard, performed by the street department regardless of legal responsibility; 2) placement on the annual replacement schedule after inspection and photographic documentation; and 3) notification and billing of property owners when the owner is responsible.

On billing, Pat said the city sends letters after title research and offers homeowners about 90 days to repair sidewalks themselves. If the city replaces an owner‑responsible sidewalk through a city program, the homeowner receives a bill and may pay up front or be assessed over time. "They can pay it all upfront. If they don't want to pay it, then they could be assessed on their taxes over... I think it's 5 years," Pat said; another staff member confirmed the assessment stays with the property if the owner moves.

Staff said contractors for the city's sidewalk program are on board and will begin work soon; homeowners with slabs they want replaced can ask the contractor to do the work at the homeowner's expense while crews are on site to reduce cost. Corey, the engineering technologist, maintains the address/complaint database used to schedule and share work with the street crews.

On streets, Pat and engineering staff said the city runs an annual concrete street repair program funded from the city's "108 fund." Major reconstruction projects such as Blake Avenue, West Smith and North Huntington are typically funded by a mix of grants and city funds; the city tries to combine multiple grant sources to reduce the local share. Staff said some large projects are led by ODOT or other agencies and the city's share varies by project.

Staff explained jurisdictional limits for speed limits and traffic controls: municipal streets are within city jurisdiction, but state routes inside city limits are governed by state rules and the city cannot unilaterally change those speed limits. For traffic signals, staff said consultants typically complete a study and report in roughly two months; if a signal is warranted, design, funding and construction can take one to two years.

Committee members asked about areas that currently lack sidewalks. Staff said when the city fully reconstructs a street (water, storm and road work), sidewalks are often added at city expense; staff confirmed Blake Avenue's planned reconstruction will include a sidewalk on the south side.

The meeting closed with committee members thanking staff for responsiveness to complaints and noting continued resident concern about pedestrian safety on busy corridors.

There were no formal votes or motions at the session.