City staff previews 2026–2030 capital plan; schedules budget workshop

Finance staff on Tuesday evening presented a five‑year capital improvement plan and instructions for council members to review detailed worksheets ahead of a budget workshop next week.

The presentation, delivered by finance staff Hannah Brauch, described the capital plan as a “blueprint of the city's overall capital investment needs” and explained that departments submitted capital requests for 2026 and projected needs for 2027–2030. Brauch walked aldermen through two downloadable worksheets—one for city capital and one for utility projects—each containing summary tabs and department detail tabs showing year, funding source and descriptions of requests.

Brauch said the worksheets break costs out by funding source (levy, debt, impact fees and other) and include a notes column and a place for aldermen to add questions for the budget workshop. The funding summary in the draft plan shows a mix of debt, fund balance, estimated levy and an estimated $28,000 of available funds under the current funding proposal.

When asked what “other” funding sources include, Brauch said the category aggregates non‑levy, non‑debt funds such as transportation or highway impact fees, donations and interest; she identified $2,000,000 as coming from transportation/highway impact fees and listed $50,000 of donations in the breakdown.

Councilmembers asked about how items are vetted before inclusion. Mark (finance/city staff) described a multi‑year process: departments identify vehicle and capital needs years in advance, finance reviews the dollar amounts and suggests adjustments, and staff and the city administrator further scrutinize timing and costs as items approach their replacement year. He said earlier drafts were about $500,000 over target but were reduced to the current $28,000 surplus through that review.

Brauch told aldermen the worksheets will live on the city website under Departments > Finance > Budget and Financial Information, in a 2026–2030 capital plan section. She asked aldermen to download and save the files, and submit questions by email to Mark so staff can compile answers for the upcoming workshop.

Councilmembers also discussed scheduling for the next budget meeting. The council confirmed a follow‑up workshop is planned (previously on backup date Thursday), and staff and aldermen agreed to try to accommodate schedules so more members can attend. Brauch and staff emphasized the council will review 2026 capital by fund (utilities first, then city funds) and discuss consensus for 2027–2030 at the workshop.

The council did not take legislative action on the capital plan at this meeting; staff asked aldermen to review the worksheets and prepare questions for next week's workshop.

Ending: Staff asked members to download and save the worksheets before editing, and reminded aldermen that Mark will collect questions and return consolidated answers before the workshop.