Councilman Dillon has led the way on a lingering ‘sore-spot’
issue
Led by a hard-charging, newly re-elected Bob Dillon, the City Council is going back to the drawing board to deal with the city’s crumbling sidewalk issue.
Here’s the fundamental underlying “truth” behind the issue that we concur with: The city dictated the planting of the trees (liquidambers mostly) which messed up the sidewalks and the city should clean up its own mess.
The next question is how do we get there, and it’s one of those devil-is-in-the-details scenarios. A $10 million bond, as Mr. Dillon has suggested, would get the work done right away and save in ever-escalating construction costs. That path also would greatly reduce if not eliminate the need for the Council to allocate funds to the
50-50 sidewalk program each year and could have a favorable impact on the city’s liability insurance rates.
The downside is, of course, that a $10 million bond would cost the city a whole lot more over, say, a 30-year span. Critics also point out that if the bond payment is more than what the Council allocates each year to the 50-50 program, then the money will necessitate a cut somewhere else? Is this what Gilroy should do in tightening budget times?
What’s clear is this: fixing the sidewalks has to be a priority for this Council. And cutting the sidewalk repair budget each year should not be an option. There should be a clearcut strategy and timeline associated with whatever the Council decides to do, whether that’s a bond or another creative solution.
Hopefully, the Council can agree on a solution and its implementation. Residents should expect that after so many years of wrangling on this issue. However, there is always an option to place a bond before the voters as either and advisory or binding measure.
Thankfully, Mr. Dillon, with the support of newly elected council members Cat Tucker and Perry Woodward, have joined Council Craig Gartman to bring this issue back to the table. Residents want this problem solved in a way that is fair.
Are sidewalks the city’s most important issue. No, but taking into account that this problem has been languishing for years with only incremental progress, it’s clear why the frustration has built. Give residents a plan that makes substantial progress and removes the doubt about when the work will be completed.
If, after this mess is cleaned up, we can keep the 50-50 program in place for future needs, that would be an added bonus.
A sidewalk plan has been a long time coming, but it’s clearly on the forefront of the agenda, and that’s a good thing.
