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La Plata council debates who should pay for sidewalks; staff to deliver townwide survey
Summary
Council discussed two policy options — enforce existing code that places maintenance on adjacent property owners or amend the code for town responsibility — and directed staff to return on Aug. 11 with a sidewalk condition survey and cost estimates. FY27 already includes an $80,000 line item for sidewalk maintenance.
Council members spent the bulk of the July 28 meeting debating two policy paths for sidewalk maintenance: enforce the town code assigning responsibility to abutting property owners, or change the code so the town assumes maintenance. Staff framed the choice and said it would not seek direction at that meeting but will return on Aug. 11 after additional outreach and condition data collection. "We are not seeking any direction at all from you tonight," staff said when introducing the topic, adding that the council should have time to review two draft policies and talk with residents.
Staff told the council the town's practice over the last decade has been to perform sidewalk maintenance itself and that the FY27 budget already includes a line for that work. "Sidewalk maintenance has been separately budgeted in FY27 with a line item of $80,000," staff said. The presentation noted the town code (section 170-16) places maintenance on abutting owners, but the town has been operating differently in practice for public-safety reasons. Either policy choice will require follow-up: enforcing the code would require inspection, notice, and enforcement resources; adopting town responsibility would require an inventory, an annual maintenance estimate and a budget mechanism to fund it.
Councilmembers raised practical concerns about snow removal (which staff confirmed remains the homeowner's responsibility under both drafts), how enforcement would work when residents cannot pay, and how the town would prioritize repairs using quantifiable metrics for public-safety hazards. Several members favored a hybrid or cost-sharing approach: maintain current town practice while notifying residents that enforcement could resume in tight-budget years, or offer a town-facilitated, contracted repair option that bills residents or offers payment plans.
The council did not vote on a policy change. Staff committed to completing a sidewalk condition survey and returning with cost estimates and clearer KPI thresholds for what constitutes a public-safety hazard at the Aug. 11 meeting.
