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Leander CIP team outlines 10-year capital improvements plan, highlights wastewater, road and parks priorities
Summary
City staff presented a draft Capital Improvements Plan to the Planning and Zoning Commission describing a 10-year outlook, scoring methodology and a ranked list of projects including wastewater treatment expansion, Crystal Falls Parkway extension and facility upgrades; commissioners requested more time to review and will return with comments.
The City of Leander’s capital improvements program (CIP) team presented a draft 10-year Capital Improvements Plan to the Planning and Zoning Commission during a workshop session, explaining project-eligibility criteria, the scoring methodology and a prioritized project list staff expects to advance for funding and implementation.
Tony Bettis, program manager for the capital improvements program, told commissioners the CIP is grounded in the city charter requirement that council adopt a capital improvements plan and that projects must meet minimum eligibility criteria: an estimated cost of at least $200,000, be nonrecurring, provide a minimum five-year benefit and add to the city’s capital assets. Bettis said the city is expanding its outlook to a 10-year horizon rather than the previous five-year framing.
How projects are developed and prioritized Bettis said departmental master plans (water, wastewater, storm drainage, parks, facilities and transportation) produce candidate project lists that staff scores with a weighted rubric. Scoring categories include operational capacity, public safety, mobility, economic development, project readiness, physical condition and equity; category weights produce a maximum weighted score of 100. Staff reported about 95 candidate projects, of which budgetary and timing constraints initially allow evaluation of roughly the top 47 projects.
Staff highlighted several projects and considerations: - Wastewater treatment expansion: described as a high-priority need driven by capacity and regulatory considerations. Bettis said design and construction timelines make this a near-term scheduling priority. - Crystal Falls Parkway east extension: Bettis said Williamson County is partnering on the project and has committed $10,000,000 toward planning, design and procurement. - Hero Way West waterline and water tower: listed as in design with easement procurement required before construction can proceed. - Parks maintenance shop at Lakewood Park and library facility needs: Bettis cited safety, staffing capacity and aging HVAC and roofing systems as short-term facility priorities.
Funding sources identified included certificates of obligation, bonds, grants (ARPA, Capital Metro, TxDOT cited) and annual recurring budgets; staff said some projects are specially funded or partnered and therefore must be retained on the prioritized list even if scoring places them lower.
Commissioner feedback and next steps Commissioners asked for more time to review the draft materials. Commissioner Landrip urged elevation of a legacy project, San Gabriel Park, into a higher rank because of its community importance. Bettis said staff produces an annual CIP book (posted on the city website) and will email the draft to commissioners; staff plans to return to the commission at a subsequent meeting for formal review and possible recommendations for the city manager and City Council.
Bettis summarized next steps as completing funding analysis and readiness reviews, soliciting commission input, and forwarding a recommended CIP to City Council for acceptance and programming into the city budget cycle.
Ending note Commissioners postponed any formal recommendations so members can examine the draft CIP book and worksheets in detail before the commission’s next meeting.
