The walking on sidewalks is commonplace around Sturgeon Bay, but the paying for new sidewalks and its maintenance became a subject of concern at the last city council meeting earlier this month.  Chad Shefchik, the city engineer, shares how the financing of sidewalks and other improvements has been handled for years in the city.

Shefchik adds that maintenance and spot replacement comes out of the city’s budget.  City Administrator Josh Van Lieshout says the assessment of new sidewalks is by the linear or square feet of the sidewalk surface.  He says property owners receive a standard notification well in advance to the assessment of the project.  Deferments of the special assessments can be done by the city council for a period of time, indefinitely or until the property transfers.  Sturgeon Bay property owners can also finance the special assessment by stretching out payments on their taxes over six to twelve years with an interest rate that is only one percent above prime, according to Van Lieshout.