Push to have Minneapolis shovel residents' sidewalks gains support

Driving the news: As winter winds down, an effort to create a city-run shoveling program is picking up.

• Several new council members — Wonsley Worlobah, Aisha Chugtai and Jason Chavez — have pledged to make the issue a priority in the upcoming budget debate.

The big problem: As anyone who's shuffled down an icy block or trekked through a stretch of sidewalk a neighbor failed to clear can tell you, shoveling is inconsistent at best and can vary widely by neighborhood and block.

How it works now: Property owners are responsible for clearing snow and ice from their sidewalks within 24 hours. If they don't get it done, the city may do it for a fee.

• The city fields thousands of complaints — and issues thousands of citations — a year.

The proposed fix: Wonsley Worlobah and other supporters want to shift more of the burden for clearing sidewalks from property owners to the Department of Public Works.

• Under that scenario, Minneapolis would send out workers when enough snow falls, similar to how Minnesota Department of Transportations dispatches plows to streets.

Yes, but: Clearing all 1,910 miles of sidewalks in the city — or even a portion of those walkways — is estimated to cost between $4.5 million to $20 million a year, on top of start-up costs.

Plus: A 2018 report by Minneapolis raises questions about whether city-led clearing would be faster than most homeowners doing it themselves.

What they're saying: Supporters argue the cost is worth it because the move would improve accessibility, safety and overall quality of life for residents, especially the elderly and people with disabilities.

• "Even if one property owner does not clear their sidewalk, that can render an entire city block impassable for many people, especially people with disabilities [and] people who have mobility impairments," said Ashwat Narayanan, executive director of the pedestrian advocacy group Our Streets Minneapolis.

Between the lines: It's not clear how the city would pay for a full-scale program long term.

• Public Works Committee Chair Andrew Johnson, who has pushed for better enforcement in the past, recently told Racket a property tax increase could be needed if that route prevails.

Of note: A number of other cities, including Duluth and some Twin Cities suburbs, have some sort of municipal shoveling operation.

• But none have as much terrain to cover as Minneapolis would.

What's next: Wonsley Worlobah told Axios she and other supporters will be pushing, as part of the 2023 budget process, for $6 million to start a program to clear about 300 miles of sidewalk deemed high priority for pedestrians.

• We have an opportunity to actually bring a necessary service for thousands of Minneapolis residents," she said. "So let's do that."

In a statement, Mayor Jacob Frey said he wants to use the budget to "identify potential opportunities to do even more" on snow clearing.

• He did not take a specific position on a municipal program.