Minneapolis will likely study sidewalk-shoveling takeover

Inspired by this winter's punishing freeze-thaw-freeze cycle, Minneapolis is on course to study whether the city should take over sidewalk shoveling and ice clearing as soon as 2027.

On Thursday, a City Council committee unanimously approved a plan for the city to study the question, as well as other ways to improve conditions for the sidewalk-using public.

"This is the first step of many in advancing a plan for the city to assume this responsibility," said Council Member Robin Wonsley, who sponsored the idea with Council Member Aisha Chughtai.

Despite the broad support for the study — and the idea that sidewalks haven't been in great shape this winter — there isn't widespread agreement on the council that a city takeover makes sense, and some are skeptical.

"I'm concerned not just about the cost, but an operational challenge that I'm not sure the city is up for," said Council Member Andrew Johnson. "That said, I'm supportive of a study, and I'm outraged by how difficult it is to get around our sidewalks this winter."

In Minneapolis, as well as St. Paul, property owners are responsible for clearing the sidewalks in front of their homes and businesses across the vast majority of both cities. The notion of the city taking over those duties, at least partially, is a perennial topic, especially during gnarly winters, but the idea has gained particularly vocal support in Minneapolis in recent years.

The city studied the issue in 2018, but those pushing for the new study believe the previous examination lacked nuance and is now outdated. It also left many questions unanswered, such as: Would city crews need to fan out after every snow, or just bigger ones? And what about when snow melts, runs onto the sidewalk and freezes?

The new study won't begin until the full City Council votes on it. On Thursday, the Public Works and Infrastructure Committee approved a directive to the mayor's office that lays out the task.

What the study will do

The study, likely to be completed by the public works department, would be due June 22.

"The timeline is a bit challenging, but we'll do our best," Public Works Director Margaret Anderson Kelliher said.

Kelliher said her department is "neutral" on the question. "We're going into this very open," she said. "The obvious consideration is the cost."

The 2018 study concluded that, in addition to start-up costs of at least $4.5 million to buy about 120 sidewalk plows, the annual cost would approach either $6 million or $20 million.