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Public Works outlines utility and capital spending; council accepts report and requests clearer line-item actuals
Summary
Public Works presented enterprise fund budgets (water, wastewater, storm drain, solid waste), requested staffing additions for asset maintenance and lab work, and described capital projects; council accepted the report and emphasized the need for itemized actuals and clearer charts.
Public Works presented proposed enterprise fund budgets for fiscal years 2026–27 covering water, wastewater, storm drain and solid waste operations and capital investment plans, requested several new positions focused on maintenance and lab work, and described timing-driven capital expenditures; the council accepted the presentation.
Public Works said the combined enterprise fund proposed FY26 budget is about $122 million for water, wastewater, storm drain and solid waste combined, with FY27 slightly lower due to project timing. The department asked for several new positions: one water maintenance worker to carry out valve and hydrant exercising, three wastewater positions (including a plant mechanic to support a new pyrolysis system producing biochar, a lab technician to handle increased testing volumes and a wastewater lead worker), and additional traffic/engineering associate engineers to increase project delivery capacity.
The presenters said capital project timing explains year-to-year differences (for example larger construction activity in FY26), and that several utilities are using cash reserves to bridge timing gaps between revenue and project expenditures. The solid waste utility noted it is still increasing commercial compliance with the city’s organic food-waste program and plans to draw down reserves modestly while outreach continues.
Council members repeatedly asked for clearer, itemized charts showing actuals and year-to-year comparisons; one council member suggested replacing multi-slice donut charts with line-item tables so members can calculate category totals without manual math. Staff acknowledged the request and said the budget book will include more detailed, line-item actuals where available and that quarterly reports will provide additional detail.
Votes at a glance - Motion: Accept Public Works budget presentation and suggest staff continue in this direction. Mover: Council member (mover). Outcome: approved unanimously.
Next steps: Staff will include more detailed, line-item actuals in the final budget book and bring quarterly updates; recruitment for the requested maintenance and lab positions will proceed subject to budget adoption.
