Council reviews draft capital improvement plan; debates chip-seal strategy, Pocketville speed devices and water upgrades

Pro Tem, substituting for the mayor, opened the work session by placing the town’s draft five-year Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) on the agenda and asking council members to review the mayor’s recommended priority list for years 1–5.

The council spent the bulk of the meeting discussing pavement, traffic calming on Pocketville Road, water-line projects and stormwater repairs. Members repeatedly urged staff to return with documented cost estimates and a pavement-management study before committing to large chip-seal programs.

Why it matters: the CIP sets multi-year priorities that guide when the town will plan and attempt to fund projects through general-fund allocations, impact fees and grants. Several items on this draft were carried forward from last year; members emphasized that eligibility for impact fees depends on whether a project is classified as “maintenance” or “capacity/upgrade” in the town’s facility plan.

Pavement management and chip seal Council members debated whether to keep a multi-road chip-seal program in year 1. One council member said chip seal was a “band aid” on streets with alligator cracking and subsidence and recommended deferring…