Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Budget Priorities topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Carbondale staff present draft 2026 priorities; trustees flag facilities, housing and capital planning
Summary
Town staff reviewed a draft list of budget priorities and near‑term projects for 2026. Trustees emphasized facility planning and town hall remodeling, housing and ADU strategies, capital improvement planning, and careful phasing for Chaco's Park and pool projects.
Town staff ran trustees through a draft priorities list to guide the 2026 budget and to flag items for near‑term work, including facilities planning, housing strategies, parks capital work and software implementations.
Overview: Ryan (Town staff) told trustees he is converting departmental priorities into the town’s new budgeting platform and that staff are balancing software implementation work with capital needs. Trustees discussed several cross‑cutting topics they said should be reflected in the 2026 budget.
Facilities and staffing: Trustees and staff discussed a planned town‑hall remodel project that was previously budgeted and not completed. Staff said the 2026 work would focus on using existing footprint to reconfigure interior space and add an ADA‑accessible door; trustees suggested a planning/design phase in 2026 before construction to avoid redoing recently completed roof or other work.
Capital improvement planning and project phasing: Trustees asked for clearer capital costs and phasing for projects such as the proposed roundabout, Fourth Street tactical urbanism decisions and upgrades carried forward from previous years. Staff said a formal capital improvement plan (CIP) and budget will be assembled and that the new budgeting system (OpenGov) will be used to organize capital requests.
Housing and ADUs: Trustees discussed code changes to allow accessory dwelling units (ADUs) and the complication posed by private PUD covenants that currently exempt some neighborhoods from standard town zoning. Trustees asked staff to consider a test case or pilot neighborhood to develop a replicable approach to PUD amendments or voluntary covenant changes.
Mobility and transit funding: Trustees asked for more detailed cost estimates and options for active‑transportation and mobility projects, including the roundabout, the second corridor crossing and whether to expand downtowner circulator service; staff flagged ongoing discussions with regional partners about cost‑sharing and the circulator/downtowner balance.
Other items: Staff summarised other ongoing priorities including Chaco's Park, opening/operating the pool, code updates to facilitate housing, climate electrification projects tied to the pool, and continuation of contributions to regional housing efforts.
Next steps: Staff will return with costed options and, where appropriate, draft budget figures for the trustees to review in advance of final 2026 budget decisions. Trustees asked to see a shared calendar of likely agenda items and follow‑up documents earlier in the packet to aid committee and trustee planning.
