City staff: Charleston maintains 433 miles of sidewalk; tort and IRF payouts total just over $1 million so far in 2026

Mr. Al, a city staff presenter, told the council the city maintains "433 miles of sidewalk," including city-owned and privately owned stone sidewalks the city repairs and maintains.

He told councilors the city has paid prior-year tort and Insurance Relief Fund (IRF) claims and that, "for 2026 so far this year alone we paid out... just over a million so far this year," referring to combined tort-claim and IRF payouts tied to trips and falls. Mr. Al outlined that the city treats most of those costs through insurance/IRF mechanisms rather than direct operating budgets.

Council members asked about budgeted versus actual spending in 2025 and 2026, and Mr. Al said the 2025 construction budget was $450,000 and spending closely matched that number for repairs; he said a standard 5x5 concrete panel costs about $360, a brick panel about $600, and a bluestone panel about $1,125. Committee members pressed whether the city needs additional crews and whether 2027 budget increases should be requested.

Mr. Al said staff will propose a request to increase crew capacity and construction budget in the 2027 budget cycle, noting the last increase took construction funding from $215,000 to $275,000. Councilors asked for more granular budget-versus-actual figures and the committee thanked staff for compiling the data on short notice.

The presentation closed with council direction to consider an increased budget and staffing for sidewalk repairs during the next budget process. The item required no immediate council vote and moved on to the next agenda items.