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Planning commission reviews annual capital improvement program update, schedules joint hearing
Summary
City planning staff presented the annual six-year Capital Improvement Program (CIP) update, highlighting planned water, sewer and transmission projects, funding sources and a public comment/hearing schedule; the commission did not take final action but was advised of an October hearing and October 1 public-comment deadline.
City planning staff gave the Spokane Plan Commission an overview of the city’s annual Capital Improvement Program, describing how the six-year CIP connects to the comprehensive plan and to the city budget and identifying several water, sewer and transmission projects that staff say are prioritized for the coming years.
Kevin Bridal, presenting for planning staff, said the CIP lists physical projects expected to have useful lives of about five years and—except for certain transportation items—is generally financially constrained to funds the city expects to have. “A project typically shows up in the CIP if it's a tangible asset,” Bridal said. He told commissioners that the document also lists unfunded or partially funded projects so the city can track priorities and pursue grant opportunities.
Bridal highlighted water projects such as reservoir additions in the Malin area, pressure zone upgrades and transmission mains, and noted downtown infrastructure work reflecting the age of downtown distribution mains. He called out stormwater-sewer separation projects intended to keep rainwater out of the wastewater treatment system and listed multiple sewer trunk and lift-station connections. Bridal also noted programming related to the West Plains and PFOS contamination: some private wells in the West Plains may need municipal supply and the CIP includes capacity to serve those connections if needed.
Bridal said funding is largely previously secured funds and grants; he told commissioners the CIP’s first year (2026 in the presentation) appears smaller because some projects remain unfunded and move into later years. He said the department uses a value threshold of roughly $60,000 to determine whether a project appears on the CIP list and that the document is updated yearly.
Commissioners asked about how major changes to the comprehensive plan would affect projects already listed in the CIP. Bridal said adopted changes to the comprehensive plan would be reflected in future CIP updates and that some projects might be re-prioritized or removed if policy changes altered needed infrastructure.
Bridal closed by reminding the commission that a combined-agency public comment period for the CIP will close on October 1 and that staff are targeting a joint commission hearing on October 22; he said staff will provide a staff report and any received comments prior to the hearing. The presentation was informational; the commission did not vote on CIP content at the workshop stage.
