City Should Be Responsible for All Sidewalks

The last Marco Island City Council meeting included a discussion regarding the city’s policy on sidewalk maintenance, showing an absence of logic. I’ve never heard of a city that makes SOME of their residents responsible for the sidewalks and SOME not.

Under the present plan, if you’re in a single-family residence, you must maintain your sidewalk. However, if you live in the Hideaway Beach area, live on any side of the street designated as a “multi-use” path, or a section of the island also having businesses on your side of the street, the city maintains the sidewalk. Additionally, sidewalks from Barfield to Marco Island Academy on the north side of San Marco just got replaced with much of it being new construction, built at CITY/TAXPAYER EXPENSE.

Regarding the condo owner(s) who object to paying for sidewalks not on their property: What would your condo be worth if all the sidewalks were left to deteriorate? But homeowners must help pay to maintain the sidewalk in front of your condo.

To the resident(s) of Hideaway Beach area: How do you justify voting to force the homeowner outside of Hideaway to pay for their own sidewalk to be maintained, AND ALSO to chip in to pay for YOUR sidewalk to be maintained?

The city MUST take over the responsibility for all sidewalks. All the costs borne by homeowners in the past were due to someone’s dumb decision to make the homeowner pay for something that should have been a responsibility of the city.

Michael Dowell

Marco Island Resident