Curious that those residents who have to put in sidewalks do not want them, While people who do not have to pay to install or maintain them are so gung ho about putting them in other peoples property.

JulieW All i am saying is that if the city employees abide by the rules( and i am not saying they do not already)then, we would not have that divide. Times are tough on everyone these day's but, this is part of being a homeowner. My family had to put in a sidewalk 2 years ago and now someone else (IMO) wants to shirk their responsibility to do the same. I apologize in advance if you are a city employee. But, if you are or are not, do you have a sidewalk already?

The sidewalk problem, of today, started 60 years ago and will probably be here for another 60.

futurerichguy..."Russ Steeber said the city could lose money if it breaks contracts. " This comment was made in ref. to lawsuits for breaking contracts....!!!!!?????

Why is it that the city can build miles of bike trails ,all at the expense of the residents by way of your property taxes,but the same thing can't be done for sidewalks.There really isn't any fundamental difference between the two.
Also if this isn't pleasing enough why not use the seven year plan in a little different way. Have all the sidewals built now or asap and place the cost on the tax bill as another line item. Then give the property owner 7 years to pay interest free. After all there sure is enough TIF district money being lent out tax and interest free. This might lower the stress of repayment a little.

If the new city council members think that the sidewalk issue should be "further discussed" (honestly, is "discussed" really the right word for this blatant pandering, political payback?),the city may find itself involved in lawsuits brought on by people who have already complied with the sidewalk policy. The city may discover property owners thumbing their noses at orders to repair sidewalks, refusing to shovel... or property owners tearing out their sidewalks altogether. It was an inequitable, regrettable decision years ago to allow choice properties to escape the sidewalk requirement. The current sidewalk plan is an effective means to remedy this poor decision of the past. To rescind the plan puts us all back on the bickering, battling merry go round, pitting neighbor against neighbor. Stop the madness!
Maybe I should form a little group of my own. It's purpose could be for anything that suits my own agenda. Such as, oh I don't know..Whiners against the Wheel Tax. I would expect everyone else in the city to have to pay this tax. But not ME and a select group of people. No, not in these "harsh economic times" Or maybe it could be for Gripers against the Garbage Pick Up Fee. Of course, I would expect everyone except my group to pay this fee. The list could go on & on. To Fowler and his fowlers: You are not special. Your property is not special. By your choice, you are a citizen of a very nice city that requires sidewalks be installed and maintained for the common good. Remember the COMMON GOOD? It's what city living is all about.

I currently live in a country subdivision with no side walks. my last house, 13 years ago was in a south side neighbor hood with no side walks. everything worked out just fine! i understand, on busy roads it is essential for the safety of our kids, but some of these proposals are rediculous!! government and families are all running deficits people. kids dont even use side walks anymore. they are playing video games until mom drives them to soccer practice. making these families put up the bill for this dated project during incredibly tough times is just plain wrong. please look at the big picture.. thankyou
jeff hagemann

There has been alot mentioned of people walking in the streets when sidewalks are present. The cause of this may be that these people are trying to avoid the dog droppings on the sidewalks especially in the dark.

If this new council opens this issue up to public forum and scrutiny, they will have more regret than they will realize.
A former council member was asked about the possibility of a homeowner asking if it would be alright to remove their existing sidewalk. As far fetched as that sounds, this is a dilemma that the council will and should debate. The current policy, agree with it or not, treats all property owners equally. Does the council really want to go back to picking and choosing which streets merit sidewalks.

One of our current council members was quoted (in a previous meeting) as stating that she “worries about shoveling her sidewalk after getting home from work“. Really ? Welcome to all the responsibilities of home ownership in Janesville. Some property owners will never agree with the current policy and the timing will never be right to them.

Callmeal I don't understand your logic how does a police officer, firefighter, or garbage collector in Janesville putting in a sidewalk before everyone else show they have faith in the decisions they made? Most city employees had nothing to do with this. The city employees who came up with a side walk plan were asked to do so by the city council. Maybe you could enlighten us with your logic?

tom3205 you are not being forced to put in a sidewalk, if you don't want too you can move into an apartment, condo, or out of the city. That is the difference between buying a sidewalk and health insurance. Only homeowner who do not have a sidewalk in front of the house have to buy whereas everyone has to buy insurance. They are saying it is the responsibility of the homeowner just like mowing the grass or shoveling snow.

The first people who should have to put in sidewalks should be all council members who don't already have one. Then, all city employees, This would show some good faith in their own decisions.

When you start handing out tickets for those who run down the middle of the road WHEN a sidewalk is present then you may build new side walks. This would fund it!
Will the Courthouse get one??????

I'm fortunate that I am moving out of this city soon!

If forcing people to buy health care is found "unconstitutional", then forcing people to buy a ribbon of cement, must also be "unconstitutional".
The elected officials could & should be sued for "maleficence in office" since they have not conducted any research into the number of "car?\/people accidents, if these accidents occurred when a sidewalk was available. Safety may not even be a concern, just a perceived concern. Also, no study on frequency/severity of such accidents. AND, no study on "utilization". Just how many people actually use existing sidewalks? 70 thousand people in Janesville, how many have you actually seen walking on a sidewalk.?? Drive around, take a count. I bet you won't count more then .001% of the population . That's VERY poor utilization, & definitely does NOT warrant the hardship posed upon the residents. I would be glad to be a part of a class action suit. How about you??

I don't follow the logic that because some were forced to build sidewalks, then we all should. Eventually the injustice must stop. We voted in these members of the council to stop the plan. This is how democracy works.

Also this statement should raise eyebrows, "Russ Steeber said the city could lose money if it breaks contracts. " That tells me that the sidewalk plan was put in place to raise money for the city at the expense of struggling homeowners.

If we're looking at the sidewalk issue under a majority/minority lense, the new council members who oppose the sidewalk plan should know they are in the minority. Not only did 85% of property owners already pay for sidewalks but the top city council vote getter was elected with only 14.7% of the vote.

It's time for Janesville to move forward with district representation such as aldermen and get away from the faux democracy insider special interest control we now have.

Maybe this issue needs to go to a referendum, otherwise I think this will be an issue for another 5 years.

What difference does it make what Steeber, or any other past council member, has to say about it? The decisions are no longer his to make. Let's hear from the people that we elected to the council instead.

Sure RichE95, it's not partisanship when you do it. By the way, partisanship has little being a major political party or signing petitions. Partisanship is an inclination to favor one group or view or opinion over alternatives, such as being vehemently opposed to sidewalks enough to draw up sides to identify the opposition, or targeting folks who signed or did not sign a petition. That's partisanship. Merely supporting a cause like a recall, a charity or a candidate is not partisan until someone takes it to the next level.

I don't think the sidewalk issue has anything to do with the partisanship or recall signing. After all Steeber is one of the top partisans on the council and both he and Farrell signed the recall. This one seems driven by other factors. I certainly wouldn't vote based on this one issue. As far as the sidewalks go, there is some nostalgia for the 1950's with all the stuff about safety and community connections with sidewalks. They do largely go unused and few kids walk to school anymore. I do not like the tactic of dividing the city into resentful groups (I put them in so everyone should).

everytime this issue comes up i say this , but im going to say it again . look at rotamer road first they widen the road take property away from the owners to do so , put in a bike lane and then make them put in side walks , they have lost tree s , almost 40 ft of the property . can no longer park on the street, so now must fit their vehicles in their much shorter driveways . what i dont understand is why do they need a bike lane and a side walk other towns are going to black top walkway ;/ bike lane s instead of sidewalks why is janesville so far behind . they are cheaper to install, and the snow and ice melt off them faster. we have lost several trees and front yard installing the sidewalk , and the road being widened if we sit on our front porch now i can hear every word someone says walking by , but to now say other people dont have to install them is bogus . no one cared about our financail situation when we were forced to . or the expense of being annexed into the city for a subdivision that never was developed . and when the city says they are forgiving part of the cost to annex in its a lie because when u sell they want their money , its not forgiven it just put on the back burner .

To thesignguy: Many people bought or built in areas without sidewalks on purpose. Many large cities including Madison and Milwaukee have areas without sidewalks. I think that some streets designated on the pedestrian path are poor places for sidewalks, that will need many tax dollars to build retaining walls, or land will have to be added to have enough width for a sidewalk. I wonder if the planners actually looked at the paths they created. We have many streets in disrepair. Shouldn't our tax dollars be spent to fix them?

I find hypocrisy to be so entertaining. It's interesting that the Gazette & the majority of the folks participating in these comment sections repeatedly ridiculed City Council candidates for participating in partisan politics, being public employees, signing the recall petition, etc because allegedly...They were too narrow-minded, couldn't possibly be representative of the City as a whole, and were merely pawns of the Unions. Yet...at least two of the newcomers made their first order of business as councilmembers to be sidewalks???? Or essentially political payback!?!?! Will someone please give Fowler,Marklein Builders, the "Sensible Sidewalk Committee" & their large bank accounts an acronym so we can just call a "duck a duck" or shall I say....call a pawn a pawn.

What a bunch of pathetic whiners. I have to shovel and maintain my 150 feet of sidewalk, and everyone else should too. If you don't like it, move to the country.

There's never a economic good time to put in sidewalks or to ever raise taxes to pay for anything. The same anger was here when GM was in business pouring hundreds of millions annually into local paychecks. I recall packed city council meetings over this issue back then too. Where was Fowler back then? It didn't effect him back then apparently, but now it does. This is the taxed enough already, put it on our grandchildren's tab crowd. Let someone else pay for it. oh, boohoo. But I have to give them credit for community organizing on a single issue even though I don't agree with their grievance.

Gee Russ, did you really think you could shut out the new council members on issues you're in favor of and voted for in the majority in the past? Didn't you know this or any issue can be reopened by new sessions of the city council? Getting frustrated by that reality isn't much of a response to it, is it?

Having been one of the many who have been forced by this fair city to pay for new or replacement sidewalks and having been saddled with the requirement to shovel them off within 12 hours of the end of a storm by law, I have little pity for those who have escaped this duty thus far. However, like Mr. Severson, I can't see why the sidewalks shouldn't be postponed until the economy improves a bit. Government needn't be insensitive to its residents' plight.

I lost my job in 2004 (employer closed and moved out of the country). That didn't stop the city from giving me notice that I needed to install sidewalks. If I didn't, they would do it for me, and put a lien against my property. What did I do? Bucked up and had the sidewalks installed. I didn't hear from my neighbors and fellow citizens how terrible MY economy was and how I shouldn't have to put sidewalks in because I didn't have a job. So, my reaction to those complaining about having to do it now - buck up and put 'em in. I did it by altering my spending plan (e.g., eliminating cell phone, cable, kids sports and extra activities, eating out once a week, etc.). If you can't afford it - let the city put a lien on your property. I am sick and tired of hearing about how bad the economy is when those whining the loudest are those not wanting to CUT the most. As for the new council members - welcome. I am glad you stepped up to do the thankless job. But, before you go and eliminate something already in motion - that also seems to be a real hot button issue - define for me "Good Times" and "Bad Times", because when the city was doing Good (i.e., GM was still here, and unemployment was lower) the city seemed to think we (city) were in good times, while I (unemployed and couldn't afford sidewalks) had been in "bad times". That way, when we come upon good times we can just start spending like there is no tomorrow, and when we fall into bad times we can say that we truly have to wait until there are good times again. Now, before the flamers tell me how hard they have it, and how I am being inflexible - I am on bad times along with my neighbors, but at least I have a newer freaking sidewalk all the while listening to them go through the plight that I experienced 8 years ago. Misery loves company, especially when you have to shovel something that nobody uses!

True Idiocracy in action (or is it, "inaction"?). I've got an idea, why doesn't the city by the sidewalks back that it forced on me a few years ago. I didn't want 'em either, and didn't need the expense then as well.

A city has sidewalks so that pedestrians - which one would think a city would encourage for neighborliness, fitness, and low environmental impact - can safely move around in all weather and seasons. Towns, villages and unincorporated areas tend towards shoulders and drainage ditches. I guess this "town" of Janesville - for "city," in light of this revolving sidewalk issue, seems a bit grand a title for such an indecisive little backwater - needs to decide what it is and what is it's plan regarding, well...indeed just about anything! Else-wise, it is little more than a rudderless ship of fools (hmmmm...?).

But, my sidewalk is certainly available at a reduced rate should the council care to buy back mine and all those that it alone forced on homeowners and taxpayers for years now. If not...get a plan, stick with it, and move on!

FIX THE ROADS. You can step over a crack in a sidewalk, you cant do the same with your car or motorcycle. I thin the entire city council should get motorcycles or scooters for the day and tour Janesville....if they are still alive at the end of the day i'd like to know if they still think sidewalks are a priority.
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I think the city needs a new form of govt, you cant rely on 4 people to make decisions in a city of 60k+. Just reading about the "issues" they work on I think they have no direction or sense of prioritization...