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Lake Stevens council hears sidewalk maintenance plan, asks staff for cost options
Summary
Public Works described a tiered sidewalk maintenance program, prioritized repairs and a plan to require root barriers on new street trees. Council asked staff to return with cost estimates for adding staff versus contracting; no budget decision was made.
Lake Stevens City Council on Oct. 28 heard a report from Public Works Operations Manager Curtis Clifton on the city—s sidewalk maintenance program and requested cost estimates for adding staff or contracting work.
Clifton told the council the city manages 252 miles of roadway, 138 miles of sidewalks and about 3,200 signs. "Currently, this year, we have the street crew itself has completed 1,800 work orders with a 154 of those being specifically for sidewalks," he said. The crew has divided the city into quadrants and uses a tiered approach: marking offsets, shimming small gaps with asphalt, installing temporary berms, and prioritizing larger panels for replacement.
Why it matters: failing sidewalks are a safety and accessibility concern and are competing with other budget priorities. Clifton said most sidewalk damage is rooted in street trees, estimating "I would say 99% of them are tree related." Staff said they are coordinating updates to engineering standards so new plantings include root barriers to direct growth downward and protect pavement.
Council members pressed staff on resource options. Council member Reuning said he had walked more than 100 miles of city sidewalks and asked what additional personnel would accomplish. Clifton said panel replacements typically require three to four workers and can tie up half of the six-person crew. A staff speaker said the street fund, which receives a transfer from property-tax revenue, would be the likely funding source for added positions.
Council member Peter Sagan noted the city has authority to contract and that the contract language includes a union-notice process: "We negotiated in, the ability to contract out for this work as long as we provide notice to the union," he said. Several council members asked staff to return with a comparison of hiring one or two full-time employees versus contracting the work, including total cost of positions (wages, benefits) and likely productivity.
Staff also described a near-term capital approach: an RFP to replace about 476 linear feet (roughly 2,500 square feet) of sidewalk and four ADA ramps this year at 12 identified locations. Clifton said routine responses include painting hazards and creating preventative maintenance work orders; grinding is used only rarely because it can damage panels and complicate later repairs.
No formal policy or budget action was taken. Council directed staff to provide a written estimate of staffing and contracting options to inform upcoming budget discussions and possible special meeting scheduling.
Curtis Clifton said staff would return with numbers; council members said they preferred a citywide, holistic view of staffing and budget trade-offs before committing funds.
