By Shaun Boyd, CBS Colorado
Seven months after Denver voters approved a ballot measure to create a complete, crack-free network of sidewalks, officials from the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure have yet to begin implementation. They say they need $10 million for staff, planning, measurements, billing and other logistics to carry out the project that involves building, widening, or repairing 2,300 miles of sidewalk in the city.
“There’s a lot upfront money that needs to be spent before a single penny goes into the first slab of concrete,” said Councilman Kevin Flynn, who opposed the measure. He says the implementation wasn’t well thought out.
Under the ballot initiative approved by voters in November, the city will assess property owners a fee of between $2 and $4 a linear foot of sidewalk adjacent to their property. But before they can bill anyone, transportation officials have to measure the sidewalk around every property.
“It’s not rocket science,” said Jill Locantore, a proponent of the ballot measure. “It just takes time and attention and, yes, the city does need to dedicate some resources in order to get the program up and running.”
She says administrative costs were factored into the initiative, which allows the city to borrow money from the general fund and pay it back once fees – which are expected to generate $41 million a year – are assessed.