When sidewalks become safety hazards for pedestrians, they must be replaced. That responsibility rests squarely on the shoulders of the property owners, even though the sidewalks were installed by the town and the trees may have even been planted by the town. Town and state codes indicate that it's up to the property owners to maintain safe sidewalks.

Therein lies the problem. The town hasn't enforced that code and has typically paid for such repairs in the past. That could all be changing.

The council has asked town staff to develop a cost-sharing plan for sidewalk replacement, similar to plans that are in place in many neighboring cities. It's called a 50-50 replacement program that is as simple as it sounds--the town would split the cost of repair with the property owner.

In this belt-tightening economic period, the plan is one of many cost-saving measures being considered by the town. The council has already proposed cuts to police services, parks and public works, community services, the library and town offices in an effort to balance the 2005-06 budget.

Residents will no doubt accept the more invisible cuts in town services, but how will they react when a hefty bill arrives for half the cost of a new section of sidewalk? They will have no choice but to pay. What's more, they should accept the financial responsibility because the town can no longer afford to pay for that which is the liability of local property owners.

While decisions to freeze open police positions and restructure staff hours at the library may have been indiscernible, such cuts further limit services previously provided by the town. Los Gatos can cut no deeper. It's time for residents to step up and do their part.

Youth party guidelines

Scott Seaman is a man on the cutting edge. The chief of the Los Gatos-Monte Sereno Police Department is taking another major step to protect the town's young people with the development of "Youth Party Guidelines."

With the help of Sgt. Tam McCarty and Sgt. Kerry Harris, the police department has developed a document that explains its philosophy in responding to parties and outlines its typical party response procedure. What's more, a party notification line will be set up for young people to report ahead of time that they will be hosting a party.

The program seems like it will foster trust and open up lines of communication between the police department and youth. Seaman and his department are to commended for what appears to be a win-win program, and young people are encouraged to participate in the plan to make it work.