The Vallejo City Council on July 22 adopted its five-year capital improvement program for fiscal years 2025–26 through 2029–30, approving appropriations for pavement work, public buildings and a series of water-system projects that city staff said will be the department’s main focus in the year ahead.

City water director Beth Schorenberger and Public Works Director Oscar Alcantar presented the program and said the department will roll over $34 million in water projects from the 2021 revenue bond and is asking for an additional $4.673 million from the water enterprise fund specifically to fund replacement of the SkyView tank and to allow the project to go out to bid this fall.

Why SkyView matters
City staff described SkyView as a treated-water storage tank that has been offline since 2021 because of a leak measured at about 100 gallons per minute. The tank holds roughly 6 million gallons, provides critical distribution pressure and contributes to fire suppression capacity. With SkyView offline, staff said they have had to rework operations, which has increased main breaks and operational complexity. Restoring SkyView, staff said, will improve redundancy and fire-flow capacity; the city also reported Swansea Reservoir (a DSOD-regulated reservoir) remains offline following damage from extreme storms, leaving the system with a shortfall in treated-water reserves.

Meter upgrades and plant electrical work
The CIP includes a multi-year meter replacement program. Schorenberger told the council that the majority of Vallejo’s water meters are more than 25 years old; new meters will allow customers and staff to monitor usage daily, speed leak detection and improve customer service. Staff reported the program is already about 50% complete for meters installed under the earlier program.

Other highlights
- Pavement and streets: Measure P and other gas-tax funds were allocated across street projects; the city said it expects to be able to raise the PCI (pavement condition index) from 43 toward 51 over 10 years with continued investment, though a funding gap remains.
- Police dispatch and headquarters: Public Works said the PD dispatch pad received its concrete and the dispatch unit is expected to ship next month; staff said headquarters plans are near 100% but raised concerns about costs and schedule and council asked for a report on interim solutions.

What council directed
Councilmembers asked staff for a 30-day briefing on the police headquarters project, including interim worker accommodations and timeline options. Council also asked for more district-by-district detail for street projects and for staff to return with funding and scheduling details for SkyView and the meter program.