Denver City Council voted Monday unanimously to delay the voter-approved sidewalk repair program until 2025 to give city staff and stakeholders more time to figure out a fee structure and billing system.
Approved by voters in 2022, Denver’s sidewalk program will collect fees from property owners to repair the city’s dilapidated sidewalk network, 40% of which needs repairs, is too narrow or hasn’t been built out, according to city estimates.
The program was initially set to begin in January, but council members voted to delay it until July 1 over concerns that the fee structure was not equitable.
The program’s stakeholder committee recommended delaying the ordinance again so the committee and Denver’s Department of Transportation and Infrastructure can work out additional amendments, including the fee structure, and set up and test a billing system, said Councilwoman Amanda Sandoval.
“They’ve done a lot of good work, but it’s still not ready for prime time,” Sandoval said Monday.
The ordinance will now go into effect Jan. 1, and a fee structure still needs to be approved by the city council.
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