Depoe Bay budget committee reviews capital improvement plan, water priorities and transient lodging tax allocations

The Depoe Bay Budget Committee took an extended briefing on the city's draft Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) and a proposed budget; the discussion focused on how to prioritize water and wastewater projects, how much to budget for infiltration and inflow (I&I) work, the planning versus binding nature of the CIP, and how the city's transient lodging tax (TLT) revenues have been allocated over time.

City staff and the city engineer presented the CIP as a planning tool that combines multiple master plans (water, sewer, transportation, parks, harbor) to show projected needs and rough cost estimates. City staff said the document is “a planning tool, not a legal mandate,” read aloud during the meeting, and emphasized that “the CIP is a forecast, not a promise.” The city engineer’s draft lists multiple projects with a FY‑by‑year footprint; staff noted a FY 25‑26 summary figure of $6,225,000 in the draft but said the budget committee and council would decide which projects to fund.

Committee members questioned large master‑plan estimates and asked staff to focus budgeting on the 0–5‑year priority column. One recurring point: staff currently budgets approximately $80,000 per year for I&I (infiltration/inflow) assessment and reduction work and said annual averages so far have been about $50,000–$60,000; the master plan figures…