Why Is Sacramento Asking Residents To Pay More Than $1,000 For Sidewalk Repair?

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — Sacramento is cracking down on cracked sidewalks in one neighborhood, and residents are being told to foot the bill.

Someone complained about the raised sidewalks in East Sacramento, and now the whole block is painted with white arrows.

Michelle Allen's cracked sidewalk came with a letter in the mail asking for nearly $1,200 to repair the sidewalk.

"So my property taxes and the other taxes I pay are not going to maintain the sidewalks," she said.

The city is happy to do it for her at her expense. Her neighbors were also cited, so she's taking the lead starting with the letter to their councilman.

"The real issue for me however is a system that can be used against individuals who have no say and have no recourse," she said.

Allen contacted the inspector listed on the citation for an explanation, but had no luck.

City code on the issue says, "An owner shall maintain and repair any defective sidewalk fronting such owner's lot, lots or portion of a lot. Where a defective sidewalk is caused in whole or in part by a tree root or roots, the owner shall nevertheless have the duty to repair the sidewalk."

Steve Lavezzo blames trees for uprooting the pavement, but he still paid the $1,000 to fix the cracks, but it didn't end there.

"They had an arborist come by also," he said, which was on his dime.

"Because they have to make sure that it doesn't damage the tree—again that the city planted," Allen said.