Town staff members presented the idea to the council last month as a way to make the town's money go farther. Though town and state codes indicate that property owners are responsible for maintaining sidewalks, the town currently pays for all sidewalk repairs. There was a short-lived effort in 1996 to institute a cost-sharing program, but it has been the town's policy since then, and for many years before, to pay for all replacements.

Parks and Public Works Director John Curtis told the council recently that tree roots have raised an increasing number of sidewalks, creating a safety hazard.

Under the proposed "50-50" plan, the cost of replacing such an uplifted section would be split equally between the town and the property owner. Curtis said it would allow the town to replace 1,000 lineal feet of sidewalk as opposed to 500 feet with the existing $50,000 budget.

Several residents, though, were surprised to learn that the town was considering such an option.

Vista Del Campo resident Pattie Martin said she and her husband recently moved to Los Gatos from Campbell, where the city performs all sidewalk replacement.

"We were pretty shocked," Martin said of learning about the plan. "I just think the town should be covering that."

The average cost of a sidewalk replacement is $1,000, Curtis said. Thus, the 50-50 program would require the property owner to pay for $500 of that figure. The town would hire a contractor to perform all of the replacements through its usual "lowest responsible bidder" policy.

Those residents for whom the cost represented a financial hardship could be exempted. Council members also discussed the possibility of placing a price cap on the shared amount so that no property owner would get a bill for more than a predetermined amount.

"It sounds like something the city should be paying for," Edelen Avenue resident Diana Goslin said. "But I'd like the idea of a cap if they do go forward with the program."

Councilman Joe Pirzynski said he does not think the 50-50 program is necessary. He said that he was concerned about suddenly changing a long-standing policy, especially when it appears that the town appears to be headed toward financial recovery.

"Now that things are beginning to look better ... I think it is not the time to go ahead and exact something from our residents that would be a financial hit and has a lot of complexity to it," Pirzynski said. "If the dollars are such that we're not talking about a large sum of money, from my perspective it has more to do with the long-term tradition and the fact that this has been a benefit the community has been able to experience."

Pirzynski said that if the financial picture worsened, he could see putting the 50-50 program back on the table.

University Avenue resident Max Bouchard said he could understand the town wanting to stretch its dollars.

"Sharing seems fair," Bouchard said. "Times are tough for everybody."

Across the street from Bouchard, Jeff Mullins said he felt that sidewalks were more the property of the entire community rather than simply that of one homeowner.

"If there was something the homeowner did to cause a problem, it seems the homeowner would be financially responsible for all or part of it," Mullins said. If not, "it should be the town that fixes it ... and the cost should be spread across all of the citizenship that has sidewalks."

Councilwoman Barbara Spector said she wants to make sure she has heard from as many people as possible before making a decision. The council will likely discuss the issue again this fall.

"I understand what the staff is saying--we have sidewalks in disrepair and we have limited funds to repair them," Spector said. "But I know that as a resident of Los Gatos, if I were suddenly to be faced with this and not know it's coming up, I would be concerned ... My biggest concern at this point is the element of surprise."

Edelen Avenue resident Judy Holcomb said that surprise would not be a welcome one.

"It's a bad idea," Holcomb said. "The money needs to come from somewhere else."