Committee forwards sidewalk inspection, repair ordinances after DPW presentation

The Budget & Finance Committee on Wednesday heard a presentation from the Department of Public Works on two ordinances designed to launch a proactive citywide sidewalk inspection and repair program and then forwarded both items to the Board of Supervisors for the January 13, 2007 meeting without recommendation.

DPW staff described an ordinance that would declare sidewalk defects a public nuisance under state code, which would allow owners to pay for repairs through assessments on their property tax bills. The clerk read the ordinance text as an appropriation of $1,277,584 for the sidewalk inspection and repair program (item 1); DPW staff characterized the seed appropriation they expect to use as roughly $1.27 million and said that additional program costs this year will be funded through existing general-fund capital monies, including about $395,000 for sidewalk repair and a portion of a citywide accessibility project.

Dan McKenna of the Bureau of Street Use and Mapping summarized a 2005 random sample that found about 13 percent of sidewalks showed serious damage and said roughly 97 percent of sidewalks are maintained by property owners; he estimated about 10 percent of damage is the city's responsibility. DPW and the committee discussed inspection mechanics: the department plans block-level inspections where inspectors will assess multiple properties and the city will cover inspector time even where only some properties require repairs.

Committee members pressed DPW on funding, timing and capital-planning implications. Controller's office staff provided revised figures that produced a combined general fund contribution for the current year of about $1,043,000. DPW noted this seed money is necessary because property-tax assessments would not be collected until fiscal 2007–08 and the department needs funds to contract for repairs now. Bob Beck, deputy director for engineering, said the capital plan already includes increased funding for sidewalk repairs and curb ramps and that the department has made significant investments around school properties.

Several figures were discussed in committee: staff reported the city received about $18 million in sidewalk-related claims in the last two fiscal years for which data were cited, paid roughly $350,000 of those claims, and incurred approximately $750,000 in defense costs. DPW also outlined program costs in the request: an additional 1.5 FTE for six months (~$241,532; full-year ~$483,064) and a current-year program cost estimate of about $2,320,961 with a modest additional general-fund need identified in attachments to the packet.

A Sunset District resident who received a 30-day repair notice criticized the program for lacking "objective standards," saying the inspector told homeowners he relied on experience rather than a written metric. DPW responded that inspectors evaluate defects by observable criteria (cracks, displacement, missing pavement) and that the department will work with the city attorney to refine and clarify objective standards before the inspection program begins. Treasurer's office staff said DPW will supply a February list of owners who opt to have assessments on their property tax bills; the Treasurer's office would then collect assessments in two halves, but administrative costs depend on program take-up and are not yet known.

The committee accepted the city attorney's amendment of the whole and, by unanimous consent ("without objection"), forwarded both items to the Board of Supervisors for the January 13, 2007 meeting without recommendation. The committee directed staff to refine the inspection standards and said it would consider capital-planning implications before the Board acted.

Next steps: DPW said it will coordinate with the city attorney to finalize objective inspection standards prior to the program's planned February start for inspections; the items will be considered by the full board on Jan. 13, 2007.