Trustees weigh paving increases, sustainable fund transfers and park/CIP priorities

West Chester Township staff told trustees the 2025 roads and cemetery budgets will focus on catching up on deferred maintenance and completing neighborhood paving sequences, supported by a mix of general-fund transfers, sustainable infrastructure fund dollars and county traded-project funds.

Assistant Administrator Lisa Brown (acting Community Services Director) and road staff said the township has increased lane miles under its care by about 88% over the past 40 years and that inflation and construction cost increases have eroded previous paving purchasing power. Staff proposed a roughly 55% increase in paving funding for 2025 — an increase of about $1,800,000 — supported by $1,500,000 from the general fund and $1,000,000 from the sustainable infrastructure fund. Butler County Engineer’s Office traded projects were expected to contribute about $291,000 for paving outside TIF areas.

Lisa Brown noted some one-time federal ARPA funds used for storm-pipe and paving work have been exhausted; sustainable infrastructure resources (staff said roughly $17,000,000 is available in that fund) were proposed for limited use to support operational paving this year. “We did increase the paving funding for this year... we are transferring $1,000,000 from the sustainable infrastructure fund,” she said.

Trustees pressed staff about prioritization of projects in the capital improvement plan. Several trustees questioned recurring or large TIF-funded items shown in the packet, including:

- Baseball-complex improvements: trustees identified recurring annual expenses for the complex (a $750,000 turfing item and smaller netting/repair items) and asked whether those investments primarily serve economic development rather than resident use. - Keener Park: staff noted roughly $1 million was budgeted for potential Keener Park improvements pending outcomes of a parks master plan and stressed Keener Park is outside TIF so general-fund resources were proposed. - Solar carport/covered-solar parking: a $4,000,000 placeholder for a solar carport at the Safety Services Building generated questions from trustees about resident priorities versus large capital sustainability projects.

Trustees asked about small sidewalk connection projects (examples on Route 42 and Union Center Boulevard) and whether grant-seeking or private-developer responsibilities should determine township involvement; staff said many small connections have been handled via grant requests, redevelopment requirements, or targeted township funding when the board wishes to fill gaps.

Lisa Brown and road staff said the 2025 plan delays one salt-truck purchase (to smooth the budget curve) and intends to standardize fleet vehicles for cross-department use. Staff also listed CIP items including a parks master-plan implementation allocation (~$750,000 outside TIF) and construction of a USS Cincinnati Memorial entrance (about $500,000, expected to be fully covered by a grant but still budgeted). Trustees asked staff to provide further detail and returned items for more consideration before formal approvals.