Naperville’s longstanding practice of how it funds sidewalk repair and replacement could change in the coming years. For this year, at least, the status quo cost-sharing method between the city and property owners will remain in place — despite the objection of several council members.
Annually, the council adopts an ordinance, solidifying the specific addresses slated for sidewalk work in a given year. The ordinance also formalizes the enactment of the cost-sharing program to defray costs within the city’s capital budget.
This year’s ordinance was taken up at the city council’s June 6 meeting and did ultimately pass, on a 6-3 vote, after lengthy deliberation.
According to a city document, more than 1,500 properties this year are slated to have sidewalks installed, repaired, or replaced. The addresses are scattered throughout Naperville.
‘Seems to be a basic service’
Councilwoman Jennifer Bruzan Taylor was among the vocal dissenters of the city’s practice.
“For several years now, I have commented about the issue I have with us having a cost-sharing program for sidewalks,” Bruzan Taylor said. “To me, and to many residents who have reached out to me, this sidewalk repair seems to be a basic service, just like street repair.”
Street repaving is fully funded through the municipal budget.
“We don’t require people to pay for the portion in front of their house that is getting repaired,” Bruzan Taylor said. “I think that applies as well to the sidewalks that are open to the public, and used by the public.”
Councilman Ian Holzhauer and Councilwoman Allison Longenbaugh also cast dissenting votes. Both shared similar views.
“Comparable communities across the country — I think more than half of peer, upscale suburbs — the city picks up this tab, and not the individual resident,” Holzhauer said.
Explaining her objection, Longenbaugh said, “I look at sidewalks as infrastructure and think that residents bearing the cost of that is really an undue burden.”
Proponents say program’s end would impact budget
While some of the other council members said they were amenable to taking a deeper dive into the pros and cons of cost-sharing once budget deliberations take place, they opted to vote “yes” this year because of the impact the abrupt end would have on the current fiscal year finances.
“I think we should be thoughtful about it here,” councilman Patrick Kelly said. “It’s money that our residents are going to pay, one way or the other. It’s not like the cost goes away. It’s really just how we allocate the cost. We just have to figure out the most equitable way to do it.”
Councilman Josh McBroom said he believed it would be prudent to revisit the issue later this year, for next year and beyond.
“I think it should be a city service, but I would be concerned about how we would pay for it,” McBroom said.
Annual sidewalk work costs in the range of $350,000
Bill Novack, director of the city’s transportation, engineering and development department, said the current annual cumulative cost of the sidewalk work within Naperville is pegged at $350,000.
At the council meeting, Novak provided historical dollar amounts, which have inched up each year as inflation and other factors have taken hold.
In 2019, Novack said the total cost was $303,862. In 2020, the amount rose to $324,892, and in 2021 was $349,749. Total figures from the 2022 sidewalk work are still pending.
Regardless of how the council voted, Novack and other city staffers said the replacement program would still move forward. It would just have been a question of how the work would have been fully funded by the city within the confines of the budget.
“We do not want to cut the construction program short,” Novak said. “We have sidewalks out there that need to be repaired this year. That work needs to be done.”
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