CINCINNATI — Roughly six months after moving into her Bond Hill home, Lorenda Johnson received an unexpected emergency notice from the city of Cincinnati.
The letter told Johnson that her sidewalk needed repairs. The city estimated the cost of the repairs at about $2,800.
Johnson said she had no idea the condition of the sidewalk was her responsibility.
“I seen it, and I thought that it was the city’s property," Johnson said. "I had no idea that that would ever fall on me, none.”
Johnson doesn't deny her sidewalk is in bad shape.
A nearby tree is seemingly uprooting the sidewalk by several inches.
WATCH: Hear what options you have if you receive a notice to repair from the city:
Johnson said the previous homeowners told her the sidewalk has been in bad condition for years. She said when she bought her home, she never expected to take on the responsibility to fix it.
“That’s like $3,000 just for a sidewalk that I don’t even walk on," Johnson said.
According to the city code, Cincinnati homeowners are responsible for maintaining the sidewalk in front of their homes.
Residents who receive notices to repair their sidewalk have a few options to fix the problem. They can:
- Hire a licensed contractor to fix it
- Attempt to repair it individually
- Allow the city to repair it for the estimated cost
Homeowners have 30 days to repay the assessed amount or schedule payments of a term of three, five or 10 years. Those payments would be added to a homeowner's property taxes.
“It’s so many things I would rather have done than to have to do this," Johnson said.
In June, the city approved $100,000 for a sidewalk repair pilot program to go to seven neighborhoods on the city's west side.
However, Johnson said that doesn't do much for her in Bond Hill.
“I don’t know how they picked what communities it should be, but I would have never expected to be living here six, seven months and then you all hit me with this," Johnson said.
Johnson warns other homeowners to be mindful of the city code and to be proactive with fixing any damages.
She said she hopes city leaders will consider allocating money to help homeowners like herself pay for costly repairs they weren't anticipating.
“I know that it looks bad, but I sure didn’t know this was going to be on me," Johnson said.
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