Scottsdale budget commission probes capital‑project overruns, proposes tighter predesign and contingency steps

Scottsdale — The Budget Review Commission on March 27 examined a staff list of 31 capital projects for which the city is seeking budget increases and heard a subcommittee report identifying common causes of cost growth, from unforeseen site conditions to pandemic‑era delays.

The commission’s subcommittee, led by Commissioner Mark Stevens and Vice Chair Dan Swigert, told the panel it reviewed roughly 30 contracts covering fiscal 2024 and year‑to‑date 2025 and found change orders, outdated project scopes and delays among the most frequent drivers of increases. Commissioner Stevens summarized the challenge: “If you only do what you always did, you only get what you always got.”

Why this matters: staff presented that the total of proposed increases going to City Council for approval was about $284,000,000, with roughly $163,000,000 expected to be spent next year. The commission and staff framed those requests against a proposed next‑year capital program of about $1,000,006,000 and a multi‑year capital outlook measured in the billions.

The subcommittee’s review found several recurring causes of budget increases: unanticipated underground utilities or drainage and right‑of‑way complications; extended delays and inflation…