The Carroll City Council closed discussion on a nearly year-long debate concerning sidewalks in the southwest corner of Carroll city limits during their meeting last night (Monday). The proposed plan includes the addition of just over 2,500 feet of new walkways along Pleasant Ridge, Hidden Valley, and Timberline Roads. Ward 3 Councilman Kyle Bauer says this is a challenging issue, as residents in the area are split.
Marty Halbur, a Pleasant Ridge homeowner, says there are obvious safety concerns along the southernmost roadway.
At least two other residents along Pleasant Ridge indicated they were not opposed to installing sidewalks on the edge of their property and were open to paying for the installation. Brian Fleshner, who lives on Timberline, says he and his neighbors nearly universally oppose mandated sidewalks along their stretch of road.
There were two questions before the council at Monday’s meeting: Should the city mandate sidewalk construction, and who should foot the bill? Historically, sidewalk construction and maintenance has fallen to property owners, and Mayor Mark Beardmore says the city will likely be forced to run a very tight budget in Fiscal Year (FY) 2024.
Ward 2 Councilwoman Misty Boes adds having the city pay for this sidewalk project opens a door to dozens of other areas in town that could argue for new city-funded sidewalks. A motion from Bauer to not pay for sidewalk installation passed unanimously, but two follow-up motions, one to mandate the entire project and another to mandate just Pleasant Ridge sidewalks, failed due to lack of a second. Full video from Monday’s meeting can be found below.
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