Murrysville lays out $23.7 million 2026–2030 capital improvement plan, prioritizes roads and bridges

The Municipality of Murrysville presented its draft 2026–2030 Capital Improvement Plan (CIP), a five-year, $23.7 million program that directs most spending to roads, bridges and municipal equipment and facilities. Finance Director JC told council the plan groups projects into streets and infrastructure, equipment and facilities, and parks and recreation.

The CIP matters because it sets a multi-year funding roadmap and helps the municipality prioritize large projects, JC said. "The capital improvement plan is a road map for how we look at our investments and, manage the large investments," JC said.

Key elements of the plan include about $17 million for streets and infrastructure, with roughly $8 million over five years dedicated to a comprehensive overlay program, two major bridge projects (Logans Ferry/Heather Highlands and Kalkan Bridge), and annual bridge maintenance funded at about $1.1 million. MS4 storm-sewer and detention-pond work is estimated at about $1.1 million, and Route 22 corridor projects are budgeted at roughly $577,000.

The equipment and facilities category totals about $5.3 million over five years. The plan lists fleet replacements (including several dump trucks, a wheel loader, backhoe and multiple park mowers), a possible public-works facility upgrade (a study and preliminary funding were included), 13 police vehicles and five in-vehicle cameras, and a $10,000 police crash-data recorder planned for next year. JC said the CIP captures items with cost over $10,000 and useful life greater than five years.

Parks and recreation projects are budgeted at about $760,000 over five years, with the municipality contributing roughly $205,000 annually from the general fund for maintenance. Heritage Park was singled out for a 2026 renovation estimated at about $140,000 to replace playground equipment, install safety surfacing and replace a pavilion roof.

On 2026-specific funding and projects, JC said the municipality has $1.5 million planned for priority-street overlays and about $200,000 set aside for annual bridge repairs identified through PennDOT inspections. Fleet and equipment slated for 2026 total about $1.6 million; the police crash-data recorder is included pending approval. Parking-lot resurfacing at the Administration Building is a three-year project starting this year, and a public-works building expansion study and door-security upgrades are also listed.

JC provided a breakdown of funding sources: approximately 23% from the capital millage, 24% from transfers or reserves, about 17% from liquid fuels funding, roughly 17% from real-estate transfer tax, and about 14% anticipated from Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) grants, with the remainder from other grants, fees and interest.

Council members asked for detail about the difference between the $22.07 million figure shown for currently identified projects and the $23.7 million five-year total. JC explained the larger number includes planned additions to reserves and transfers from the general fund in years when available revenue allows it.

Traffic-signal synchronization on Route 22 drew extended discussion. JC said the municipality is replacing an older Rhythm adaptive signal system with Miovision if grant funding is secured. "Rhythm had some issues, and there's not a lot of people that can work on it," JC said, adding the newer platform updates more reliably. Staff said they applied for state grants such as PennDOT's Greenlight Go; the municipality would provide a roughly 30% local match if awarded (staff estimated a municipal share around $60,000 for the match). Council and staff noted PennDOT does not operate local signals directly and that coordination with adjacent jurisdictions would be needed for corridor-level synchronization.

Council asked how the plan compares to last year. JC said the new five-year total is about 7% higher than the prior plan, driven in part by added public-works facility funding and normal inflation in vehicle and construction costs. JC said the plan was prepared assuming a 3.2 mill real-estate tax level (last year staff had planned around 3.95 mills but reduced that assumption), and that unanticipated year-end surpluses typically go to reserves unless the town adjusts the CIP.

No vote on the CIP was recorded at this meeting; JC concluded the public hearing portion and invited further council questions.

Next steps cited by staff: continue refining project estimates, pursue available grants for the two major bridges and the traffic-signal upgrade, complete a feasibility study before committing to a public-works facility expansion, and return with any budget amendments if actual grant awards or major cost variances occur.