Oxnard committee approves mid‑cycle CIP update, allocates $1.3M and adds alley maintenance program

The City of Oxnard Public Works and Transportation Committee on April 22 recommended City Council approve mid‑cycle updates to the city’s five‑year Capital Improvement Program (CIP) for fiscal years 2025–2029, authorized $1,300,000 in project appropriations and approved a set of new and revised projects.

Staff summary

Morgan Kessler, City Engineer, told the committee the mid‑cycle update is a routine review halfway through the two‑year CIP cycle. Staff reported 32 changes to existing projects, eight new projects with identified funding, and three newly identified projects without funding. Kessler said departments were polled for updates and new needs; completed projects since the last cycle are listed in the packet and budget shifts appear in the financial impact section.

Appropriations and transfers

Staff recommended $1,300,000 in fiscal year 2024–25 appropriations, with a breakdown included in the staff report: $250,000 from the Circulation System Improvement Fee Fund available fund balance for the 5 Points intersection improvements project, and $1,050,000 from the Facilities Maintenance Internal Fees Fund available fund balance for the elevator modernization project. The recommendation also included a $201,375 transfer from the Culture and Community Services general fund operating budget to the elevator modernization project.

Committee members asked about several items discussed in the packet.

Advanced Alley Maintenance Program

Kessler and other staff described a newly identified Advanced Alley Maintenance Program intended as an intermediate treatment for the city’s many degraded alleys. As Kessler explained, the program will target structural failures and apply a two‑step surface treatment (chip seal followed by microsurfacing or slurry) after localized excavation and asphalt repairs. Kessler said this treatment is intended as a longer‑lasting stopgap between routine patching and full Portland cement concrete reconstruction.

Street lighting and LED conversion

Committee members raised public‑safety concerns about street lighting. Staff explained most street lights along city streets are owned by Southern California Edison and have been converted to LED; city‑owned lights (LS3 tariff segments) remain on a city inventory and are eligible for city repair and retrofit. Steve Hallett, Assistant Public Works Director, said the South Oxnard library lighting project is the CIP’s top priority for lighting; staff have selected a design consultant and expect two to three months of design work before construction procurement.

Elevator modernization and other project questions

The committee asked about the golf course elevator; staff said golf operations (an enterprise fund) is funding and managing that repair separately and has solicited bids. Staff also noted the CIP update documents completed work and reprogramming by project in the financial section of the report.

Committee action

A committee member moved to forward the mid‑cycle CIP updates and budget adjustments to City Council; another member seconded. The clerk recorded the vote: Committee Member Teran — yes; Committee Member Basula — aye; Chair MacArthur — yes. The motion carried 3 to 0.

Next steps

The committee recommended that City Council approve the CIP updates and the listed appropriations; staff will proceed with budget adjustments, consultant design work and project procurement as shown in the report.