Sycamore staff present $24.6 million five‑year capital plan; board discusses permanent improvement levy

Sycamore Community City finance staff and consultants presented a draft capital plan showing approximately $24.6 million in needs from 2025–2029 and flagged a likely shortfall if the district relies only on the $4.1 million annual transfer currently in the five‑year forecast.

The plan, presented by Dan Shaw, a consultant with Bradley Payne, quantified district capital needs by category and building and showed the $4.1 million annual allocation would cover routine maintenance and replacement but not many new projects the district has identified. The presentation and subsequent board discussion focused on financing options, timing and community messaging if the board pursues a permanent improvement (PI) levy.

District staff and consultants said the draft plan combines facilities, technology, athletics and transportation needs into one interactive project schedule that can be filtered by building, year and work type. "The punchline, so you're not sitting there wondering, right? Is that the 4.1 is pretty good for the maintenance items that you have. It does a good job of covering maintenance and replacement costs, but it's not really gonna be enough to cover some of the new…