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Public Works outlines FY26 budget with pavement management, staffing tweaks
Summary
Public Works Director Debbie Miller presented the departmentproposal for the fiscal year 2026 budget, emphasizing pavement management, a crack-seal program, and modest staffing changes while noting declining capital from Better Streets Safer Cities projects.
Debbie Miller, public works director, presented the Public Works portion of the proposed FY26 city budget and summarized major program priorities and line items.
Miller said the department—udget "begins on the budget book, page C157" and listed core functions and seven divisions, noting the streets division as the largest with 167 positions. She said the department maintains about 98,000 street signs, 8,951 street lane miles, 1,800 snow routes and 804 signalized intersections. "We are reducing some of the asphalt materials in our budget. We're also implementing a crack seal program," Miller said. She also said the department added an assistant city engineer and deleted two vacant positions.
Miller showed the department's operating budget at about $60 million and said stormwater is the smallest division at roughly $4.3 million while streets and drainage comprise the largest share of operating dollars. She said total funding across sources was roughly $221,000,000 (as presented) and that about $55,000,000 in street impact fees had been identified, with $44,000,000 allocated to projects and dozens in design or construction.
Miller described several near-term initiatives: a pavement management system RFP expected in summer to improve condition assessment and performance modeling; a crack-seal program; and continued work on streetscapes funded by Better Streets Safer Cities. She said the department's goal is to resurface 100 miles per year but that available funds have reduced that capacity.
Council members asked for more detail on the alternative speed abatement (50/50 matching) program, and Miller said she would provide information on locations, device types and typical neighborhood cost (she estimated about $5,000 for speed humps as an example). On household hazardous waste, Miller said the city continues to evaluate options to collect sharps and that funding and logistics remain under consideration.
Miller closed by noting outreach efforts with developers and contractors (workshops, quarterly newsletters) and offering to provide follow-up materials to council on the programs and match costs.
Ending: The presentation moved on to the utilities department; no formal vote was taken on Public Works items during this hearing.
