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TrailNet and aldermen press for streets and sidewalks funding as budget shows capital drop and gas-tax allocation
Summary
TrailNet recommended folding the city's 50/50 sidewalk program into the streets department and creating a planning division; budget director told the committee that the capital fund fell to $61.4 million and explained new gas-tax allocations to capital.
At the budget hearing, TrailNet urged the committee to consolidate sidewalk funding and create a continuous planning function within the Streets Department to prioritize safety and maintenance.
TrailNet policy catalyst Charles Bryson recommended creating a planning division within Streets to coordinate maintenance and repairs and to end the city's 50/50 sidewalk program, which Chapel speakers and some aldermen called inequitable.
"The consolidation of sidewalk repair and replacement funds would allow all residents greater mobility," Bryson testified, arguing that folding 50/50 resources into the Streets Department and adopting a planning approach would target areas with missing or deteriorated sidewalks and prioritize accessibility.
Budget context provided by Director Paul Payne: - Capital Improvement Fund is budgeted at $61,400,000 for FY26, a 24.3% decrease largely because the prior-year surplus available for half-year allocation fell from about $36,000,000 to $21,200,000. - Payne noted $5,300,000 in street and bridge projects funded from gas-tax receipts and explained a longstanding $8.2 million baseline gas-tax amount in the general fund (with additional receipts above that directed to capital projects); the recent gas tax increase created a recurring capital piece expected to be about $7 million in the capital fund going forward.
Why it matters: committee members said streets and sidewalks are direct, visible services affecting safety and mobility; TrailNet and other witnesses argued that a consolidated, equity-focused sidewalk program and ongoing planning would make maintenance investments more effective.
Committee follow-up: Aldermen asked for more details about the 50/50 program, possible phased transitions to consolidated funding, and the Streets Department's capacity to absorb planning and project delivery work. Payne pointed to a recurring capital stream from the gas-tax increase as a stabilizing offset to past capital volatility.
Ending: the committee signaled interest in further discussion and asked administration staff to provide more detail on how sidewalk funds are currently structured and how a planning division might be funded and staffed.
