Ortonville- Sidewalks and the responsibility of village residents in regards to snow and ice-covered ones, as well as broken ones, were hot topics of discussion at the Dec. 11 village council meeting.
The council reminds residents they are responsible for the upkeep of the sidewalks adjacent to their property, and reiterated the responsibilities of both village and property owners for the removal of snow and ice from public sidewalks.
Ordinance Number 49, Article III, in effect since 1988, states in section 3.1 ‘Each adjacent owner shall be required to remove accumulations of snow and/or ice from an adjacent sidewalk.?
In section 3.2, the ordinance says, in part, ‘To the extent it is deemed by the village to be feasible, the village may assist in the removal of snow and/or ice accumulations on a priority basis, taking into consideration sidewalk locations which carry the highest volume of pedestrian traffic. However, no adjacent owner shall be entitled to rely on the village for the removal of snow and/or ice accumlations from any sidewalk…?
‘It’s the homeowner’s obligation,? said Village Manager Ed Coy. ‘We will make every effort to clear (the sidewalks), but we can’t guarantee it.?
The village council also decided at the meeting to further clarify a sidewalk maintenance plan in which property owners will pay for concrete needed to replace sidewalks adjacent to their property. The village council expects to have a final policy on the maintenance and replacement of sidewalks before them at their Jan. 8 meeting.
The village plans to perform all labor regarding sidewalks at no cost to the residents. Citizens can sign up ahead of time for sidewalk repair/replacement and pay ahead for the concrete, which is estimated to cost about $95 per yard. Citizens who have dangerous sidewalks will be given a chance to sign up for the program, but if they do not, they could be forced to foot the entire bill, including labor, said Coy. The costs in such instances would be put on a tax bill as a special assessment. Special consideration may be taken if a resident falls below government poverty guidelines.