Ephrata passes sidewalk ordinance

EPHRATA - A new Ephrata ordinance will help add sidewalks.

The ordinance affects property owners getting building permits from the city. If the improvements total more than 50 percent of the assessed value of the structure, they are required to add sidewalks, curbs and gutters.

Community Development Director Ron Sell said the ordinance won't affect people remodeling their homes' interior since the city doesn't require a building permit. The city does require building permits for outside improvements, such as expanding the house or adding outside structures.

The ordinance provides exemptions in some situations, Sell said, pointing to one provision where, if the cost of the sidewalk is more than 10 percent of the cost of the improvements, then the property owner doesn't need to construct a sidewalk.

If installing the sidewalk would create a safety hazard or no improvements exist within 100 feet of the property, then owners could get the process deferred, according to the ordinance. The agreement requires the property owner to pay for the sidewalk once the deferment ends.

"There are a lot of places where citizens have the right to object," City Administrator Wes Crago said. "It allows for a common-sense approach."

Councilmember Kathleen Allstot questioned the fairness of the ordinance, pointing to an earlier ordinance requiring people within 200 feet of the city's sewer system to connect to it.

"We really didn't know how many places we made it difficult for when we passed the ordinance," she said. "I don't want us to make the same decision here."

Mayor Chris Jacobson said this ordinance isn't similar to the previous one, pointing out it affects people who can afford to add the sidewalk. He brought up examples of sidewalks in the city where they don't connect to other sidewalks.

He also noted the broken curb in front of the new Tequila's restaurant on Basin Street. Without the ordinance, the owners don't need to fix the curb.

"We don't have any money to repair it," Jacobson said. "The city could have gotten a new curb ... It's not the penniless people this is going to affect."

The ordinance was approved unanimously. Councilmembers Mark Wanke and Tony Mora were not at the meeting.