Council reviews 2027–2032 CIP draft; administration asks whether to prioritize maintenance, light‑rail supports or large visionary projects

Deputy City Administrator Andrea Snyder presented the draft 2027–2032 Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) to the Committee of the Whole on June 16 and requested council feedback on several policy choices: whether the administration should prioritize maintenance over new assets; how to prioritize transportation projects that support light rail; and whether to fund large, long‑term “visionary” projects or smaller immediate projects.

Snyder said the CIP reflects updated utility rate‑study inputs, a larger emphasis on facilities maintenance, and a continued mismatch between needs and anticipated revenues. “Needs continue to outpace the revenues,” she said, and the CIP departs from prior versions by not attempting to fully balance the first two years of the plan because of uncertainty about future revenues and grant prospects.

Nut graf: the CIP is a planning document meant to make the city eligible for grants and to show anticipated work across utilities, transportation, parks and city facilities; Snyder asked the council to weigh trade‑offs so staff can bring more detailed budget recommendations during next year’s budget cycle.

Key points raised in the presentation and council discussion

- Maintenance priority: Snyder said the administration emphasized maintenance and replacement programs over new assets, especially for facilities that staff described as deferred for too long.

- Light rail and transportation tradeoffs: Mobility and Infrastructure Committee members and others said they support maintenance and light‑rail‑related projects but expressed concern about committing to high‑cost visionary projects (for example an I‑90 pedestrian crossing associated with a future station) without identified funding. Snyder noted the I‑90 crossing currently lacks an identified funding source.

- Northwest Sammamish Road and other local priorities: Councilmembers reiterated long‑standing community interest in Northwest Sammamish Road pedestrian improvements. Snyder said that project is in the plan and tentatively scheduled for 2028, with Transportation Benefit District (TBD) sales tax revenues anticipated to help fund the debt service.

- Facilities and public‑safety projects: the plan includes Issaquah Police Department renovations and City Hall facility work beginning in 2027; Snyder said the administration prioritized facilities maintenance and will return with more detailed budget requests. The Public Safety and Civic Facilities Task Force continues to meet and will provide recommendations to the council.

Quantities and funding signals mentioned in discussion

- Snyder stated the city expects TBD sales tax initial revenues in the order of $2.2 million in the first year (used in council discussion to illustrate scale), and noted some projects in the transportation section have TBD‑backed debt shown (for example a multi‑million dollar placeholder for a North‑of‑Sammamish corridor project), but she cautioned that exact debt‑service impacts depend on future bond market conditions.

- Snyder said the CIP includes updates from the utility rate study, including the timing for a new water treatment plant to be funded by the water utility; exact utility rate impacts will be considered in next year’s budget process.

Next steps and requested direction

Snyder asked whether council supports the administration’s emphasis on maintenance over new assets, whether council wants to prioritize projects that support light rail, and how council prefers to treat large visionary projects versus smaller immediate projects given funding uncertainty. The administration seeks potential adoption of the plan on June 23 to meet a July 1 statutory deadline for Transportation Improvement Plan updates, but staff said the CIP is a planning document and some items will require further refinement during the next budget process.

Ending

Councilmembers expressed broad support for prioritizing maintenance and pedestrian safety projects, reiterated specific commitments to Northwest Sammamish improvements, and asked staff to return with more detailed cost and funding information during the budget cycle. Snyder said staff would return in September/October with implementation updates and additional scoping work for high‑priority items.