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Auditors identify $17.8M of dormant CIP balances; council questions encumbrances on Monument Road and splash pad funds
Summary
Auditors told the Duval Doze Committee they had identified thousands of dollars in CIP project balances that departments say can be closed, and the committee pressed staff about a Monument Road encumbrance and a splash‑pad appropriation in a council member’s district.
Council auditors told the Duval Doze Committee they identified hundreds of capital‑improvement projects with little or no recent spending and recommended closing completed projects so available balances can be repurposed.
Kim Taylor said the auditors compiled a list of projects with no expenditures since Oct. 1, 2023, totaling roughly $1.3 million that departments agree can be closed and reallocated. A supplemental set (item 3b) included another $112,644 that the auditors said could be closed after removing non‑cash accounting entries. Taylor said that approach would bring the committee’s identified closeout total to about $17,815,340 when combined with previously identified closeouts.
Taylor also reported lists of projects that departments had said must remain open; those lists include roughly $2 million in balances, some dating back to 2014–2016, and the auditors circulated them to council members for confirmation. Taylor and staff said totals will change as departments and council members reconcile district priorities and funding sources (PAYGO versus debt).
Council members raised two district questions. Council Member Adamo Arias asked about a splash pad project in his district showing $97,000 available but no expenditures; Parks Director Daryl Joseph told the committee the splash‑pad appropriation came from prior district discretionary funds tied to an earlier council member and that site constraints at Fort Family meant a splash pad could not be installed there; once the original project is closed, the money would revert to the district for repurposing.
Council Member Salem pressed staff about a roughly $500,000 project for a target on Monument Road: auditors said about $450,000 of the $500,000 had been encumbered (committed) after the auditors’ report was run. Public Works Manager Nina Sickler and Taylor said they would follow up with traffic engineering to confirm whether the encumbrance reflected a legitimate, feasible request or was an untimely commitment that should be reversed before funds are assigned elsewhere.
Taylor also summarized broader process improvements under discussion, including establishing a small warranty‑holdback pot for one year so projects need not remain open while awaiting warranty inspections and recurring needs; the administration and public‑works finance staff were evaluating whether to centralize that holdback in non‑departmental expenses or include it within project budgets.
No formal legislation was adopted at the meeting. The auditors will circulate the closure lists to council members, who can flag projects they want retained in their districts; departments will confirm feasibility on encumbered items and return to the committee with clarifications.
