Mayor Mueller, city officials remind property owners of sidewalk repair reimbursement program
SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- On Wednesday, South Bend Mayor James Mueller and Public Works Director Eric Horvath held a press conference to remind property and home owners about a unique initiative that allows them to be reimbursed for curb or sidewalk repairs.
"In the city of South Bend, of course, the abutting property owner is responsible to maintain their curbs and sidewalks, but we know the cost can be a little bit steep for our homeowners and property owners, and so we have a program that cost shares a portion of that," Mueller said.
"We are here to ask for residents to take a look at the program and see if it works for them to make progress on our curbs and sidewalks in our neighborhoods, and we have some capacity left with the funding available this year that we're hoping to get the word out and have more homeowners take part in this program improve the curbs and sidewalks in front of their property and help to improve the walkability of our neighborhoods."
The program includes anyone who lives within city limits, and those who live within designated target areas receive an even higher rate of reimbursement.
Rates of reimbursement:
- $15 per foot for curbs ($30 in Target areas)
- $20 per foot for sidewalks ($40 in Target Areas)
- $950 for all ADA accessibility ramps
"We want our neighborhoods to be walkable and approachable, and especially for folks ADA accessible," said Mueller.
"And so there is a portion of the program that also helps to if you're on a corner, as you see here on the corner, the ADA compliant ramps are also reimbursed at a different rate, and so want to make sure that our neighborhoods are accessible for everyone in our community, and make sure that the people are getting out, walking and enjoying their neighborhoods."
City officials said, in 2024, 95 applicants — 74 homeowners and 21 business owners -- used the program to replace their curbs and sidewalks.
"We do about, typically, close to 100 reimbursements a year," said Horvath.
"This year, our numbers have been lower, so we're trying to get the word out to make sure people understand the program exists and that they can still sign up."