Denver officials hashing out ways to help pay for sidewalks

Nearly a year of discussion by the Denver City Council about how to build more sidewalks and fix many that are crumbling has shifted to a group of policymakers who are charged with putting together a plan.

The Sidewalk Affordability Working Group in coming months will wade through complex financial and legal issues that could result in greater enforcement of a longstanding ordinance that requires property owners to build and maintain the sidewalks out front.

The aim of several City Council members and now the mayor’s office is to couple that stepped-up crackdown on crumbling or missing concrete with more city investment and, possibly, an assistance program to aid homeowners, especially in lower-income neighborhoods. Those plans could rely in part on a new funding stream of millions of dollars a year — or even upwards of $10 million, the sum a city mobility task force plans to recommend for annual sidewalk spending.

How to pay for it? Options include a new fee or tax, though it’s not clear yet if all homeowners would have to pay or how much an assistance program would cost.

Read more: http://www.denverpost.com/2017/01/03/denver-sidewalk-payment-plan/