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Will sidewalk delay doom program?

Janesville City Council members earlier this week and for the second time delayed a program to build 63 miles of unfunded sidewalk, citing tough economic times.

One council member, Tom McDonald, said Thursday that it will be interesting to see what support remains for the program when the council doesn't have the economy to blame.

Some people might ask: If the economy is the reason, when is the right time to implement the project? When unemployment is at 6 percent? Might a new council either lose its political will or disagree with the former council the further it gets from the 2008 vote to approve the program?

Three council members who voted in 2008 remain on the council: Bill Truman, George Brunner and Russ Steeber.

At least five council members either at Monday's meeting or when contacted Thursday said they still support the program.

Tom McDonald said he would have to study it more. Kathy Voskuil could not be reached.

The council passed the 2008 program as a way to put an end to a contentious issue. Between the 1950s and 2006, some people in Janesville were required to build sidewalks, and some were not.

In 2006, council members decided that anyone building a house in Janesville would be required to install a sidewalk.

In 2008, council members decided that existing gaps in sidewalks were safety issues. They formally adopted the sidewalk plan that had existed for many years and also set up a schedule to implement it. The sidewalks had not been installed before because of political pressure from residents.

Frank Perrotto was not at Monday's meeting because he was present instead at his granddaughter's birth.

He said, though, that he would have voted to implement the plan. Granted, these are bad economic times, but the city has a hardship program to address that.

"So what are we waiting for? " he asked.

Monday's vote just delayed the inevitable, Perrotto said.

The 2008 council spent hours studying the plan that was eventually adopted, and he believes it deserves his support.

"If we go into this again, the only thing that is going to happen is … different people will be happy and unhappy."

The council made a decision and should live with it, he said.

"I say, 'Let's move on.'"

Steeber, too, said he probably would have voted to get on with the program. He left the meeting early because he was ill.

It is politically easy to delay the program because of tough economic times, he acknowledged.

"Unfortunately, there is no good economic time to do those projects because there's going to be some expense," he said.

Granted, Janesville has 10 percent unemployment. But 90 percent of the people are employed.

"This needs to be done for the good of the people of Janesville," Steeber said.

Yuri Rashkin was not on the council in 2008, but he said he supports the plan.

Common sense tells him that the economy is putting a burden on homeowners, he said.

Rashkin said he wouldn't be inclined to shelve a plan that a former council spent money and time to develop.

Brunner and Truman both said they still support the plan but agreed it should be delayed because of the economy.

McDonald was not on the council in 2008 when the plan passed.

"To hit people with several thousand dollars of new sidewalk charges doesn't make any sense right now," he said.

"When things improve, we'll have to make a decision one way or the other," he said.

"I'm not saying I'm against it or for it. I just don't know enough about it in order to make an informed decision.

"The economy made the decision to delay it easier."

SIDEWALK MAINTENANCE PLANS

Council members Monday directed staff to be more proactive in maintaining sidewalks.

Now, staff inspect sidewalks on a complaint basis.

In the future, the city also will inspect sidewalks adjacent to streets being rehabilitated.

Council member Bill Truman asked that staff only inspect sidewalk that is the focus of a complaint and not sidewalk in the vicinity.

Council members also said the city should recoup some administrative fees that go along with the yearly sidewalk program. That cost is averaged over the per-foot assessment of those who hire the city to do the work. Residents who hire private contractors do not pay for that administrative overhead.

Staff suggested that those residents be required to pay a $185 permit fee. That fee was based on an estimated 3.75 staffing hours spent coordinating each sidewalk.

But council members said the $185 fee was too high and arbitrary.

Council member Bill Truman also wondered how fair it would be to charge the $185 fee when a resident might be replacing only one section of sidewalk, for instance.

The staff was directed to come back with a lower permit fee.

About half of Janesville residents choose a private contractor.