Public Works committee backs 2026 budget package including stormwater feasibility study and equipment replacements

The Public Works, Properties and Sustainability Committee voted to recommend the 2026 Public Works recommended budget after a discussion that included capital street and trail projects, vehicle and equipment replacements and a proposal to fund a stormwater utility feasibility study.

The committee’s discussion centered on a capital plan that would fund a trade‑in program for a skid steer (referred to in materials as a “tool cat”), ongoing street, trail and sidewalk maintenance, and engineering for several repaving and trail connections. “So instead of borrowing for it, we'd like to add it into our operations line,” Kyla, the director presenting the budget packet, said of the tool‑cat trade‑in, noting the machine’s purchase price is “$100,000, give or take” and that joining the vendor’s trade program carries a $15,000 entry cost and annual maintenance handled by the vendor.

Kyla told the committee the department expects lower winter salt usage as brine and two new snowplow trucks reduce demand, estimating a $30,000 decrease in the salt budget. She also…