Parma is poised to flip the script on who pays when sidewalk slabs buckle over tree-lawn roots. Instead of homeowners footing the bill, the city is moving to make its own Service Department the default fixer for trip hazards caused directly by city-planted or city-maintained trees.
Council members are lining up behind a narrowly targeted tweak to the tree-lawn ordinance that would spell out exactly how the city handles those problem spots. The change is one of six proposed ordinance revisions drafted by the law department and sets up a three-step playbook: grind down small heaves, lift panels when grinding is not practical, and remove and replace sidewalk sections when neither option works, Service Director Tony Vannello told Cleveland.com.
The city has already bought a sidewalk grinding machine for an estimated $10,000 and plans to bring in contractors for lifting and full replacement jobs when in-house crews cannot cover them, according to Vannello. Officials say the goal is simple: cut down on the number of residents who decide the cheapest fix is to cut down the tree.
Mayor Tim DeGeeter has said the city will revisit the program after one full season. Vannello will keep a ledger of expenses so the mayor can track what gets done in-house and how much it costs.
How The City Plans To Fix Those Heaved Slabs
Vannello describes the new approach as both safety-driven and canopy-conscious. “The idea behind this is really just to eliminate the residents decision to repair sidewalk trip hazards when directly caused by tree roots,” he told Cleveland.com.
Under the three-tier system, crews will first try to grind down smaller raised slabs to smooth out the walking surface. If grinding will not do the job, the city will bring in contractors to lift and adjust the panels. When lifting is not practical, the last resort is to remove and replace the affected sections entirely to restore a level sidewalk.
Where This Fits In Parma’s Sidewalk Game Plan
The move does not come out of nowhere. It builds on existing streetscape and sidewalk work the city has already been funding through block grants and council-approved contracts, where the director of public service has had authority to replace blighted stretches of sidewalk and tree lawn, city documents show.
Under the city’s 2025 Streetscape ordinance, the director is allowed to enter contracts for replacement of curb, public sidewalk and tree lawn. That framework provides the procedural precedent for this new, more focused trip-hazard repair policy, according to the City of Parma.
Why The Trees Are A Big Part Of This Story
There is a bigger environmental backdrop here. Parma has lost a notable share of its tree canopy in recent years, and both residents and advocates have pushed for policies that keep healthy street trees standing instead of sending them to the wood chipper over a cracked sidewalk bill.
A regional report and local coverage of reforestation efforts highlight Parma’s canopy decline and quote city officials touting planting grants and hundreds of replacement trees, context city leaders now point to as they try to balance safety with conservation, according to WVXU.
Council is expected to take up the ordinance tweak in the coming weeks. If it passes, the Service Department plans to roll out repairs this season, and homeowners should keep an eye out for notices from city crews.
Residents with questions or specific sidewalk concerns can find contact information and service details on the Service Department pages of the City of Parma website.
