City staff presented a proposed five-year capital improvement program and asked the Board of Aldermen to identify priorities after staff flagged rising costs and tight fund balances.

The proposal, introduced by Rick, a city staff member, lays out projects across multiple funds including transportation sales tax, capital improvement sales tax and the general fund, and shows growing reimbursements and higher project estimates that together tighten the city’s cash position. "The right now, the reimbursements are just over $6,000,000," Rick said, adding the total project estimates tied to those reimbursements are "just over $15,000,000." He summarized the five‑year list for 2026 at about $12,700,000 and noted multi‑year spikes in later years.

Why it matters: the CIP directs which large public projects move forward and when. Staff said several projects with external reimbursement deadlines — notably state or federal cost‑share programs — raise the stakes for completing engineering and construction on schedule. If the city delays projects, it risks losing reimbursements or creating larger budget gaps in later years.

The presentation identified transportation projects with sharp cost increases, including the First and Bridge roundabout and annual overlay and sidewalk programs. Chuck, a city staff member who handles reimbursements and project grants, described an expanding list of projects with outside funding and said staff expect to keep pursuing reimbursements but will need additional local funding to complete some larger jobs. "This would like the roundabout, this would be 1 area that we would be pushing for additional funding," Chuck said of the First and Bridge project.

Board members discussed whether to prioritize a traffic signal over the First Street roundabout. One alderman said prioritizing the traffic light would better spend limited funds; another said the roundabout has a 50–50 cost‑share opportunity with MoDOT and urged continuing to pursue that funding. Jack, a utilities/engineering staff member, cautioned that even with a MoDOT cost‑share the design‑review and bid process likely push construction into 2028, so timing, not just budget, affects whether reimbursements can be claimed.

Staff emphasized that many projects are susceptible to timing slippage: "When we say we're gonna start a project in '26, it may go over to '27," Rick said, noting that shifting engineering or construction between years can avoid mid‑year cash shortfalls. The capital improvement sales tax fund and transportation sales tax fund both show negative balances in the near term in staff projections unless projects are deferred or additional revenues are identified.

Staff asked the board for a set of priorities to guide which projects to advance, delay or reframe across funds. They also noted two near‑term processes to watch: the city’s 9‑month budget review in August, which will add more sales‑tax carry‑forward data, and ongoing staff work to refine estimates and pursue reimbursements.

The work session concluded with the board moving to an executive session; the clerk recorded a roll call with six ayes to adjourn to executive session.

Looking ahead, staff said they will continue biweekly CIP updates and bring revised numbers and options to the board during the formal budget discussions this fall. The board asked staff to return with clearer priorities and with refined cost and timing estimates that reflect pending reimbursements and potential external financing.