CINCINNATI — Phyllis Leurck's home in CUF has a lifetime of memories inside.
"How long have you lived in this house?" I asked.
"71 years, no 72 years, sorry!" Leurck said.
With seven decades inside those walls, wear and tear are inevitable. Last year, Leurck received a notice from the City of Cincinnati that several slabs on her sidewalk needed repair.
"Maintaining structural slabs is solely the responsibility of the property owner," according to the city's website regarding responsibilities and maintenance.
Leurck told me that the sidewalks were in such bad shape, getting around wasn't easy.
"I mean, they were so bad, and you know, I got that like neuropathy in my leg. So it was, like I'd have to go all the way around, and if there were cars there, I’d have to go all the way up to the corner just to come down," she said.
Cincinnati's Sidewalk Safety Program allows homeowners three options when they're notified of necessary repairs to their sidewalks: hire a licensed contractor, replace the sidewalk yourself, if you have the proper license or have a city contractor complete the work.
So last summer, Leurck let city contractors take care of the damage — but that service wasn't free. Data from the City of Cincinnati reported that Leurck's collection amount was over $2,600.
“It’s a lot, but you know, they did a good job," Leurck said.
Watch below to learn more about the debt homeowners will be paying the city for sidewalk repairs:
During a Budget and Finance Committee meeting on Monday, an ordinance was passed levying assessments for 116 properties that owe a combined $237,254.08 back to the city.
Each of these properties received emergency repairs. A city spokesperson told me emergency repairs are defined as "Sidewalks that meet the condemnation requirements (unsafe to traverse and/or non-ADA compliant) are marked as emergency repairs by our inspectors."
I was told that all homeowners included on the city's list have been notified. Homeowners have 30 days to repay the assessed amount or have scheduled payments of a term of three, five or 10 years. Those payments would be added to a homeowner's property taxes.
Cincinnati Councilmember Jeff Cramerding, who serves on the Budget and Finance Committee, said that he's looking for solutions to keep sidewalks safe while potentially lessening the burden on homeowners.
“To me, a better system would be a frontage fee or some sort of assessment where the city is paying for the sidewalks on a routine basis and taking the homeowner out of it," Cramerding said.
You can find more information on the city's Sidewalk Safety Program here. The city said that any payment questions can be called into (513) 352-4503 or sent via email to SidewalkSafetyProgram@cincinnati-oh.gov.
