Gilroy officials have floated the idea of asking voters to
approve a bond to pay to repair the crumbling, buckling sidewalks
in the city.
The trial balloon is short on details
– how much is the city asking toborrow, for starters – but
Gilroy history is not encouraging.
Gilroy officials have floated the idea of asking voters to approve a bond to pay to repair the crumbling, buckling sidewalks in the city.
The trial balloon is short on details – how much is the city asking toborrow, for starters – but Gilroy history is not encouraging. Jay Baksa noted that in his 22 years as Gilroy’s city administrator, “the city … has never passed a tax measure for the city government.”
That’s not encouraging, but we urge taxpayers to consider two important factors. First are the trip-and-fall lawsuits that plague the city. They are the No. 1 source of lawsuits against the city of Gilroy.
We urge the city to detail for its residents the actual and total cost of these lawsuits that come from damaged sidewalks. How much do taxpayers pay in attorney’s fees, city staff time, increased insurance rates, settlements and judgments because of the city’s crumbling sidewalks? Then, let’s compare that with the cost of repairing the sidewalks.
Second is the “we versus them” attitude that often crops up during tax debates. “We” the taxpayers are the city government.
We charge our elected officials and the workers they hire to act on our behalf. If the city’s sidewalks need repair, whether it’s due to a poorly designed street tree program or to natural wear and tear, it’s not “their” problem, it’s “our” problem.
Any cost to repair sidewalks, any settlements paid to settle trip-and-fall lawsuits comes out of taxpayers’ pockets. Fixing the sidewalks is the “our” responsibility. If we don’t pay for it by passing a bond, we’ll all have to find another way to raise the money.
That said, city officials have made their case much more difficult with the laissez-faire approach to the problem, and most especially by diverting funds promised for the sidewalk repair program to cover budget shortfalls.
Any proposal to raise funds for sidewalk repair must come with an iron-clad, Houdini- and Schwarzenegger-proof guarantee that the money can only be spent on sidewalk repair. There must be no possible way for the money to be diverted to any other purpose.
If we get all these factors in place – recognizing that it’s everyone’s problem, a frank look at the cost of the current situation, and unbreakable guarantees that any money raised for sidewalk repair can only be spent on sidewalk repair – then perhaps Gilroy can finally find a way to fix its shameful sidewalk situation.
Be sure to vote in The Dispatch’s online poll about the sidewalk bond proposal. Visit www.gilroydispatch.com to cast your ballot.
