HAMILTON, Ohio — More than 550 properties in the city of Hamilton will soon receive an invoice for hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars for sidewalk repairs completed in 2025 across six neighborhoods.
Hamilton City Council members unanimously passed the legislation under emergency measures on Wednesday. It approves billing for sidewalk, driveway curtain and streetside concrete work in Jefferson, North End, Lindenwald, New London, Millikin and Highland Park.
Per Hamilton code, property owners are responsible for sidewalk condition. The engineering department annually inspects infrastructure quality, and the department then issues notices that certain sections need to be repaired.
Property owners can then either repair the damage themselves or the city will perform the work and later issue invoices.
When we visited multiple areas affected by these new charges on Wednesday, most people had no idea they were on the hook for the work.
WATCH: We visit several properties soon to owe hundreds or thousands of dollars for sidewalk work
Denise Metzger told us she has lived on Greenwood Avenue for four years and had never heard of the city's policy.
The charge to her home was $296.80.
"It's going to kill me. I don't make that much money. I pay my other bills. I can't afford to pay that," Metzger said.
Another resident we spoke with, who lives on South Eleventh Street, said city officials had told her that she would eventually be billed for the sidewalk repairs on two sides of her home. She told us she's concerned, as a retiree, about paying the $3,431.95 invoice soon to reach her home.
According to city policy, if invoices aren't paid within the 30-day window, "the City will send the invoice to Butler County. The County will add the amount of your invoice to your property taxes as a special assessment for five years. If you decide to pay the invoice as a special assessment over five years, you will also have to pay an additional interest charge. This charge is based on current market rates."
Others were happy to see the city perform regular maintenance even if it cost their property owners.
"They actually did a really good job," renter Jeff Nelson said.
The specific properties billed under this policy can be found under items five and six of Hamilton's April 22 meeting agenda packet. You can access that packet here.
