Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Sidewalks topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council eases sidewalk enforcement, allows longer assessment payments
Summary
Ordinance 26-20 lets the city use online notice (instead of newspaper) when property owners can’t be reached, extends deadlines for owner responses, waives sidewalk replacement permits and offers a 10-year assessment payment option with a small interest charge; council passed the ordinance unanimously.
The Louisville City Council on April 20 approved ordinance 26-20 to amend the city sidewalk code. The ordinance removes the requirement to publish a newspaper notice when the city cannot locate a property owner and allows the city to use its website and social media to notify owners instead.
Staff explained the change is intended to modernize notice procedures and make it easier for the city to begin repairs when property owners cannot be found. The ordinance also lengthens the time property owners have to respond and gives residents the option to extend sidewalk assessment payments to a 10-year schedule instead of the current five years; staff said the city cannot control a small external interest charge that may apply to extended assessments.
Council members said the changes are consumer- and resident-friendly and noted the ordinance will also remove the requirement that the city pass a separate ordinance to assess property taxes when owners choose to have costs assessed. The motion passed unanimously and the mayor declared ordinance 26-20 duly passed and enacted.
The ordinance also waives the permit otherwise required for sidewalk replacement; staff said this and the extended payment option aim to increase voluntary compliance and reduce burdens on homeowners. Specific administrative procedures for posting online notice and calculating the extended-assessment interest charge were not detailed at the meeting.
