Village closes in on sidewalk cost-sharing policy

The Village of Fredonia is nearing a policy on sidewalk installation and who will pay for it, but a couple of details need to be ironed out.

The Village Board last week sent a draft of the policy recommended by the Public Works Committee back to administrators for a couple of tweaks.

The proposed policy calls for an even split in costs between the village and property owner when new sidewalks are installed where none had existed. That also applies to retroactive installations in developed areas where sidewalks weren’t initially added.

Costs would cover construction, grading, restoration, engineering, administration and related expenses, according to the policy.

For village-initiated replacement outside a new development or annexation, Fredonia would pay for all the work.

For new developments or annexations, the developer would pay for sidewalk work.

In checking neighboring communities, Village Administrator Christophe Jenkins said Fredonia’s proposed policy is resident-friendly.

“This policy compared to our surrounding communities is already pretty generous,” he said.

In Belgium, property owners pay to maintain and repair sidewalks adjoining their property, as well as any new sidewalk the village chooses to install.

In Saukville, the village pays for routine sidewalk maintenance while construction and reconstruction is paid for by the abutting property owner. Sidewalk removal and replacement is also covered by the property owner.

In Newburg, property owners pay to maintain sidewalks, as well as new sidewalks.

In Oostburg, property owners are generally responsible for sidewalk maintenance, but village-initiated repair and replacement costs are evenly split between the village and property owner.

Fredonia Trustee Richard Abegglen likes Fredonia’s proposed policy.

“We’re not going to find a policy that everybody’s going to be happy with. I think this is going to be as good of a compromise as we’re going to see,” he said.

In cases where the property owner would pay for sidewalks, the village discussed allowing them to choose the contractor.

“We’ll have to flush out more details,” Jenkins said. “Obviously, if we are instigating a full reconstruction, we need to choose the contractor. But perhaps there are smaller scenarios where the property owner could choose instead.”

Jenkins will also check on whether a property owner on both sides of a street can be specially assessed for a sidewalk installed on one side of the street. He said he would see what is allowed by the village’s special assessment authority.

The village is expected to discuss the policy at its August meeting.

The issue arose in April when Fredonia agreed to pay the full cost of replacing the sidewalk along Washington Avenue, a different cost breakdown than for a project five years earlier.

Resident Anne Redmond reminded the board that Wilson Street residents had to pay for sidewalks in 2021.

“You may have a riot on your hands,” she said. “If you give different treatment to other residents than what was done on Washington Street, that’s unfair. Keep that in mind.”

Jenkins requested the village develop a policy on sidewalk replacement costs.