Raleigh will change how it pays for sidewalks

After Tuesday, Raleigh homeowners will no longer get billed for sidewalk repairs in front of their homes. Not in the way they're used to, anyway.

A new sidewalk policy goes up for a City Council vote Tuesday at 1 p.m.

The city would create a pool of money for citywide sidewalk upgrades instead of charging property owners on a case-by-case basis. So what's the new payment plan? A $37 million transportation bond proposed for the October ballot. The bond sets aside $11.7 million for sidewalk construction and repairs.

Mayor Charles Meeker views the new approach to sidewalks as a "sweetener" that will convince voters to support the bond. "That is what may bring out everybody," the mayor said at a bond workshop this week.

Currently, Raleigh residents are responsible for 100 percent of sidewalk installations or repairs at a cost of $6 per linear foot.

You can read more about the city's plans for transportation upgrades in Sunday's editions of the North Raleigh News and Midtown Raleigh News. Specifically, the city proposes to renovate the Moore Square bus station, add bus shelters and benches across the city, expand the greenway network and resurface dozens of aging streets, among other improvements.

The one place you don’t want to be at City Hall, Meeker has said, is a sidewalk assessment hearing where homeowners show up to argue for why they shouldn't have to pay for a sidewalk. Those hearings would come to an end once the new policy gets approved.