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Council members press for clarity on $500,000 special-project fund and plan to move staff to 25 Shaw Street
Summary
City staff said $500,000 proposed in the mayor's budget is intended as flexible funding to finish capital projects and process improvements; the city is also planning to consolidate roughly 30–35 staff at 25 Shaw Street to free space for other departments and accommodate approved positions.
City staff told the Finance Standing Committee on May 5 that the $500,000 line in the general fund labeled for special projects is intended to provide flexible support for completing capital projects and addressing process or procurement barriers that delay project delivery.
Finance and central-services staff distinguished that $500,000 item from a separate $700,000 per-year CIP allocation that funds facility improvements. Staff said the $700,000 is a recurring CIP allocation and that the $500,000 is an additional, flexible source to address immediate needs, staffing or procurement support to get projects across the finish line.
Committee members also discussed the planned lease/occupancy of 25 Shaw Street. City staff said the initial move will relocate about 30–35 positions—central services and finance functions, including procurement—to Shaw Street to free space at other city facilities. The goal is to allow approved positions to be filled where space had previously been unavailable; staff said the move would also give the city options when current leases (for example, Gorman Street) expire.
Aldermen asked whether public-works functions could be placed at Hudson Street and whether Hudson has capacity; public-works staff said Hudson is already tight and that adding stories or jamming more personnel into that footprint is not likely feasible. Staff proposed instead a holistic facilities plan that will inventory city space, identify where departments can be consolidated, and outline long-term facility needs before leases expire.
Ending: Staff agreed to produce a longer-term space plan and clarified the $500,000 special-project fund is meant to address capital project completion, procurement or staffing bottlenecks beyond the recurring $700,000 CIP facility allocation.
