Why shovel the sidewalk if you can let the city do it?

Instead of leaving sidewalk shoveling to residents this winter, South St. Paul has hired a private firm to clear snow on four miles of city walks.

Following the lead of Burnsville, which began contracting for sidewalk plowing in 2009, South St. Paul is testing the service along Fifth Avenue from Marie Avenue to Interstate 494 and on Concord Street from I-494 to the city's border with Inver Grove Heights.

Based on a possible 14 snowfalls of two inches or more, the Reliakor Services of Bloomington estimated it would charge South St. Paul $10,000 for the season.

Homeowners along Concord petitioned the city for sidewalk service last fall after the city put in a retaining wall next to their new sidewalks, making snow removal difficult.

The city agreed to test the service at no charge to residents this year. The City Council will evaluate the cost and value of the plowing in the spring and decide whether to continue it, said City Engineer John Sachi.

"The city feels it is very important to keep sidewalks clear and safe for pedestrian traffic, especially in areas of high usage," city staff said in a briefing on the experiment. "In the past, the city has had a continual issue with snow-clearing compliance on many city sidewalks. This causes the city staff to spend many hours enforcing the sidewalk snow-clearing ordinance."

If the service makes life easier for residents, and city staff and the City Council decides to continue the service and possibly expand it, council members could choose to pass on the costs to residents, as Burnsville does.

The charge this year for the entire year of plowing on 120 miles of walks in Burnsville is $11.30 per household, said public works director Steve Albrecht.

Because of inconsistent shoveling on school routes, Burnsville had been using city crews to plow sidewalks. During budget cutbacks in 2009, the City Council decided it would be cheaper to hire an outside firm for the service than to replace the city's expensive sidewalk equipment, Albrecht said.

Hiring a contractor did save the city money, but it took two years for the private firm to deliver the kind of service residents expected, Albrecht said. "Residents would tell you the first year was a difficult year."

Burnsville calls in its contractor citywide after a snowfall of two inches or more and limits the service to key routes after a more modest snow. The sidewalk service comes through after city plows have cleared streets so sidewalks are cleared after snow from the street has already been thrown to the side. Residents seem satisfied with that routine, he said.

The $11.30-per-winter fee is charged only to residents with a sidewalk along their property. "When you think about a winter like last winter, it's a heck of a value," Albrecht said.