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Sidewalks are usually on public property. The City could shovel them.

Rights come with responsibility. The city owns the sidewalk, it has rights over it, so it and it alone has the responsibility to maintain it.

Naturally, it would be paid for by taxes. Do YOU want to pay those extra taxes?

Government takes half of what we make in taxes, and amazingly doesn't have enough money to pay for the basic services it was created for. So now the choice isn't between funding something it should be doing or something it shouldn't. Now the choice is more taxes.

Governments do this every time they want a tax increase: zero fund the essentials, things that it was created to do, and they cry poor. Don't be fooled.

Or, they can pass a law making the adjacent property owner responsible. True, it is an imposition.

It's more than an imposition, its forced labor, and outright slavery.

Or, the City can do nothing and pay a multi-million dollar settlement when someone slips on the ice and sues. That has happened here.

"Use At Your Own Risk" (similar to the beach) signs and Tort reform will solve that.

Those are your choices. Which one do you support?

There are more possibilities: 1. Sell or give the sidewalk to the homeowner. 2. Cut the budget in one of the countless areas the city should never be funding to begin with, and use the money to fund the basic, essential services the city was created for.

or... Why not use the jailed labor force to clear sidewalks. Afterall they complain if we don't pay tax dollars to let them exercise. Then let's give them some exercise.

Government takes half of what we make in taxes, and amazingly doesn't have enough money to pay for the basic services it was created for. So now the choice isn't between funding something it should be doing or something it shouldn't. Now the choice is more taxes

What's even sadder is that the typical city doesn't have enough police to deal with murders, rapes, robberies, burglaries, etc. But they always have enough to enforce fines. Hmmm, I wonder why that is?

Unfortunately, you are attacking a problem without suggesting a workable solution.

The reason the sidewalks are on public property (right-of-way) is because that is where most of the utilities run. Its not there for the sidewalks. If you give that property to the property owner, you will have to pay EVERY property owner whenever ANY utility wants to run something along the street. That is sewers, electricity, gas, water, even the cable or phone line you use to post here. As it is right now, most road projects pay MORE for right-of-way or easements than they do for concrete (remember that the next time you parrot the claim that a person who goes through condemnation is having their property stolen -- but that is a whole nother subject). That is just for the streets, not all the other utilities. And guess who would end up paying for them all. You. Your solution would only make things worse.

You did not answer what your choice was. Pay more taxes to hire people to shovel peoples sidewalks or pay more taxes on lawsuits. And, anyone who thinks that "Use at your own risk" acts on a lawyer like holy water to a vampire is a fool. Lawyers are not driven away that easily.

I remember sledding down the hill next to my parents house most of the winter when I was a kid. Not any more. Is that because of global warming? NO. It is because the City did not plow residential streets 40 years ago. The expectations of people like you have risen since then. They not only want ALL streets plowed. They want them plowed down to bare concrete and they want it RIGHT NOW. And they elect people who promise that. That costs extra money. A lot more money. Remember that when you bitch the next time. You want more than you got 40 years ago, but you want to pay less. It does not work that way. You need a reality check.

Y'all sound like a bunch of lazy, liberal, whining boobs who want the government to take responsibility for everything in your life. Sheesh! Get off your lazy butt for 20 minutes and shovel your own walks for crying out loud. The reason intrusive laws like these are passed is because people won't take responsibility to do their duty and make their own neighborhoods a safer place to live.

If you think you're too old and fear you're going to have a heart attack, I have two suggestions. 1) Pay some 12 year old neighborhood kid $10 bucks to do it, and 2) Stop being such couch potato and get a little exercise once in while.