Amid coronavirus, Sacramento orders 400 homeowners to spend thousands on sidewalk repair
On Monday, nearly seven weeks into California’s stay-at-home order, Steven Fenaroli checked his mailbox to find a notice from the city requiring him to fix the cracked sidewalk outside his Tahoe Park home – an estimated $2,217 expense.
“It was just shock,” Fenaroli said. “It seemed so tone deaf given everything going on.”
Since the state and Sacramento County issued stay-at-home orders March 19 to prevent the spread of the COVID-19, the city of Sacramento has mailed 407 notices to homeowners requiring them to repair sidewalks in front of their properties, according to Grace Nunez, a city spokeswoman.
The city is allowing homeowners to defer payments until after the pandemic passes, Nunez said in an email. But the four pages of documents the city sent to 407 homeowners did not include that offer. The city is planning to start including it soon, Nunez said.
Fenaroli thinks the city should stop sending the notices altogether during the coroanvirus crisis, while many homeowners have lost income and are struggling to make ends meet.
“My issue is, given the fact that people are out of work, people are struggling to maintain mortgages,” Fenaroli said. “I think right now this shouldn’t be pursued.”
Fenaroli’s next door neighbor, Stella Atienza, also received a notice this week, with an estimate of $3,613.
Atienza, who works at a local hospital as an essential worker, has been saving money in case she contracts the virus and needs to stay home, possibly unpaid. She said she would rather keep saving her money than spend it on the sidewalk at this time.
“I understand it’s my responsibility as a homeowner, but the timing is challenging,” said Atienza, who has owned her house on a corner lot since 1998 and never has received a sidewalk notice.
After learning about the deferred payment option from The Sacramento Bee, she said she would likely apply for it.
“They put a lot of stuff in the bill. They could’ve added a flyer (about the deferred payment option),” she said.
The notice says if the property owner does not take action with 60 days, the city will replace the sidewalk at the owner’s expense, the notice reads. It also says nonpayment could result in a special assessment levy on the property tax bill.
What are the requirements for repairs?
The city sends notices to homeowners whose sidewalks are risen or expanded more than a half inch, have dips where water could collect, or have other defects that could cause pedestrians to fall, according to a city web page.
Fenaroli, fired up after receiving the notice, took the measuring tape to the sidewalk. He said he does not believe the full 136 square feet of sidewalk he’s required to repair meet those requirements.
“There are cracks in the sidewalk, but by no means is it impassible or defective to the point it’s a safety hazard,” Fenaroli said.
Fenaroli called the office of his City Councilman, Eric Guerra, and received a call back from a staff member, who told him he could defer the payment for 90 days due to the virus. He’s not yet sure if he’s going to take advantage of that option, he said. He’s waiting to hear back from a city inspector to discuss the details of the project.
Pointing out the city enacted an eviction moratorium to help renters, Fenaroli said the city should do more than defer payments to help homeowners. He suggested the city spend a portion of its $89 million stimulus check from the federal government to cover the cost of sidewalk repairs, taking the burden off homeowners.
The city gives homeowners the option to have the city repair the sidewalk for the estimated cost given or they can do it themselves or hire an outside company to make the repairs “in a workmanlike manner,” the notice reads. The city also charges a $40 administrative fee per notice. Zero-interest payment plans are available for those who qualify, the notice reads. That option existed before the virus and is still available.
Since the virus surfaced, the city started allowing property owners to defer the repair and have the city provide an interim fix to ensure the sidewalk is safe during the pandemic, at no cost to the property owner, Nunez said. The city will then contact the property owner about a more permanent fix after the virus has passed.
While that offer is not yet included in the materials, owners who call the number listed on the notices are told about it, Nunez said.
So far, 16 of the 407 property owners have requested to postpone the work and billing, Nunez said. The city has granted the requests.
This story was originally published May 7, 2020 at 5:00 AM.
