Assemblyman Michael DenDekker was joined by state Senator Tony Avella to host a press conference announcing new legislation on damaged sidewalk repair. Assemblyman DenDekker and Senator Avella’s bill will remove the burden of paying for damaged sidewalks away from property owners and hold the City of New York accountable.
“Oftentimes, homeowners are not responsible for damage to sidewalks in front of their homes, however, are forced to pay massive fines for repairs. This is unfair to the hardworking taxpayers of New York City, and we would like to make a change. That is why we have introduced new legislation regarding sidewalk repair: to protect homeowners, small business owners, and non-profits throughout the City of New York” said DenDekker.
The Assemblyman also pointed out that this policy is most harmful to some of the city’s most vulnerable residents: “The fines for these repairs often run in the thousands of dollars. This is an absolutely devastating fine for a senior citizen on a fixed income or a working class New Yorker. This administration has placed a huge amount of emphasis on income inequality, and this bill will allow the city to ease an undue burden.”
25 comments:
>harmful to some of the city’s most vulnerable residents
Aren't the most vulnerable residents more likely to live in the projects or in shelters than own real estate?
Sounds good. But who will pay for the repairs? The money has to come from somewhere, and there are thousands of miles of sidewalks so that will add up quickly.
About time. It's ridiculous that homeowners are held accountable for public property. If your deed shows a property line that does not include the sidewalk, why should you have any liability for it?
But who will pay for the repairs?
The city. As they should. The taxes are high, the street is city property.
Passing the cost of repairs onto the homeowners is bs.
DeBlahzio has billions for all kinds of projects that will buy him votes...Shelters, mental illness, LGBTQ, Vision Zero......
More political B.S. Didn't the Bloomberg Administration enact exactly the same legislation with regard to "Tree Lifts"
"This is unfair to the hardworking taxpayers of New York City, and we would like to make a change."
Hugh?
It's unfair to the taxpayer? So lets have the taxpayer pay for it?
If its in front of your house you should pay for it, like its your responsibility to shovel it.
Why should people who don't have a home (ie live in an apartment) have to pay?
The city can't keep the streets paved. Now we want them to fix the sidewalks?
In the pic, you should have the city cut that tree down. That is the major problem there.
If the city is now going to be responsible who do you sue when you fall on a broken sidewalk? The city?
PAYDAY!!!!
The first of Marx's ten planks from his Communist Manifesto.
1. Abolition of private property in land and application of all rents of land to public purpose.
Another brilliant by assholes in this city. The city cannot fix streets, take care of illegal conversions, shoddy construction, etc. Can you imagine what sidewalks would look like if they did, plus who the fuck is going to pay for this, taxpayer of course. Sidewalks in front of businesses, homes and apartment building are the responsibility of the owners, unless the damage is done by a tree, which then the city should be responsible for it (unless the owner planted the tree).
And what is this bullshit "harmful to some of the city’s most vulnerable residents". If residents OWN property in this city they are certainly NOT vulnerable.
More idiotic ideas form "the house of idiotic ideas."
I am surprised by Tony Avella on this one.
If its in front of your house you should pay for it, like its your responsibility to shovel it.
If it's my responsibility to pay for it, then I don't want the general public walking on it. Since the city has decided that the general public has full access to this strip of land, and it's not in my property line, and I cannot stop them from using it, why in hell should I pay for it and have liability any more than I would for other land the public has access to, such as a park, the curb, or City Hall?
Most of the sidewalk damage is done by curbside trees and they are City property. If I cut down or even trim one of these trees I an subject to a fine. Any sidewalk damage, lifts or cracks, caused by a curbside tree should be the City's responsibility.
>Anonymous said...
DeBlahzio has billions for all kinds of projects that will buy him votes...Shelters, mental illness, LGBTQ, Vision Zero......
Saturday, November 28, 2015
How dare De Blasio waste money on people who are homeless or mentally ill when the truly vulnerable residents who own homes are still liable for maintaining their sidewalks. The horror.
Why should people who don't have a home have to pay? I thought that's what taxes were for. I own a home and have to pay to repair city owned sidewalks? After I pay my taxes? Next they'll want me to pay to maintain the street.
'Why should people who don't have a home have to pay? I thought that's what taxes were for. I own a home and have to pay to repair city owned sidewalks? After I pay my taxes? Next they'll want me to pay to maintain the street.'
I don't have kids and I don't go to the library. Why am I forced to pay those taxes? If I don't I go to jail!
DenDekker? Any relation to the former Met?
Wasn't it Mike Bloomberg who vowed to plant one million trees in all the boroughs during his administration? He didn't think ahead that trees need maintenance. Homeowners had no say when the city started digging pits in front of their houses and planted these trees. The sidewalk is city property. Homeowners pay extremely high real estate taxes, which continue to rise every year. Most homeowners are middle-class, law abiding citizens. Why should we pay for damage to public sidewalks by city owned trees? There should be a monetary allocation for tree maintenance in the city budget. This is just another reason why the middle-class are fleeing NY. They are being taxed and nickeled and dimed to death. The city has funds for all the illegals and welfare recipients, i.e. section 8 housing, food stamps, free medical, free education for their anchor babies. The city should throw a crumb to the middle-class and pay for tree damage to the public sidewalks.
This is not law yet, it is a bill proposal that will be introduced (and voted down) in January 2016.
"If its in front of your house you should pay for it, like its your responsibility to shovel it"
Not the same thing. Sweeping and shoveling is common sense. You keep your surroundings neat and clean.
Fixing broken sidewalks due to misplaced trees, shifting ground, full of pipes, cables underneath is not the homeowners' job.
"The city can't keep the streets paved. Now we want them to fix the sidewalks? "
That's right. The sidewalks are city property and free to use by all taxpayers.
They pave the roads and not everybody is driving a car.
So what is the difference?
Shifting the responsibility is just an other city scam.
I don't have kids and I don't go to the library. Why am I forced to pay those taxes? If I don't I go to jail!
Your analogy is well-intentioned but flawed. The current state of affairs for sidewalk maintenance is akin to you paying taxes that support the library general fund AND being sent another bill directly when it needs a new roof.
Yeah, right. Like you trust the city to fix your sidewalk! Only the naive and stupid will believe in this proposal. They don't even prune the city trees that are uprooting the sidewalks in the first place.
Did I mention UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES???
Too little too late. Got fined a number of years ago and had to fix sidewalk myself. F!@# NYC!
It's about time, Every event I go to they scream plant more trees green but they plant them and then walk away from the responsibility. At the moment I don't have one but I dread the day they decide to put one in front of my house. They break sidewalks, damage sewer and water pipes hang over house damage roof and there is nothing I can do about it. IT'S ILLEGAL IN NYC TO TOUCH HARM OR TRIM A CITY TREE EVEN IF IT IS ENDANGERING PEDESTRIANS OR PROPERTY.
A neighbor had massive sidewalk issues and sewer water main issues caused by a tree, no private contractor would even consider the job to fix it due to all the city red tape. Finally when her sewer collapsed she call the insurance company (you know the one DEP is pushing on us) they said its not covered since the tree is a condition before the policy was issued.
They've spent money to pave my street about ever five years ( it's never really been that bad but the repaving doesn't last long) but the curbs they break never get fixed.
My neighbor pushed a young city tree out of his way, so now the tree grew up and cracked the sidewalk
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