Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Tmp Outreach And Budgeting topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Littleton board reviews TMP survey results and council discussion on using debt to fund capital projects
Summary
Board members reviewed a quick TMP survey and public comments, discussed broader community outreach methods and heard a staff summary of council retreat conversations about using certificates of participation and general obligation bonds to accelerate capital projects.
The Transportation and Mobility Advisory Board reviewed results of a short public survey and packet comments and discussed outreach strategies for the Transportation Master Plan (TMP) update. Staff said the quick survey (posted on social media and city channels) attracted approximately 42 responses and showed strong interest in bicycling, transit and walking; respondents favored self-guided online presentations and surveys as the preferred engagement method, followed by in-person meetings at Littleton Center.
Board members emphasized wider outreach beyond the self-selected responders so residents not normally engaged have opportunities to comment. Suggestions included pop-up surveys at local events (festivals, farmers markets), outreach to schools (surveying high-school students), coordination with hospitals and emergency services, and combining multiple departmental surveys into consolidated events to avoid “survey overload.” Board members also suggested focusing investments on strategic bike corridors and improving linkages between existing trails.
The board set a planning timeline: staff and the board aim to produce TMP recommendations by mid-summer (July–August) and to schedule additional study sessions through the spring to accelerate input for the TMP update.
Separately, a city staff member summarized conversations from a recent council retreat about capital funding and the prospect of using debt to accelerate projects. The staff member said council discussed two instruments: certificates of participation (which function like lease-backed financing and do not require a public vote) and general obligation bonds (which typically require voter approval and can be used for visible downtown investments). The staff member said the city is considering a portfolio approach—using both instruments—and that a possible goal would be to limit debt service charged to the 3A sales-tax revenue stream to no more than one-third of that revenue.
The staff member outlined candidate uses for debt proceeds that were discussed at the retreat: rebuilding an aging city service center, health-and-safety improvements at the Town Hall Arts Center (a city-owned facility), the Mineral & Santa Fe corridor work, sidewalk backlog and storm sewer replacements. The staff member said the city has an existing pavement inventory and is working on a buildings inventory; storm sewers installed in the 1980s are reaching the end of an expected service life, and those storm‑sewer projects would likely be financed as enterprise debt covered by storm‑sewer fees rather than general fund revenues.
Board members asked for clearer, consolidated capital and maintenance accounting—an inventory of assets and multiyear cost estimates—to improve the public conversation and to help prioritize projects. Board members also asked staff to provide clearer guidance on which capital projects the council would consider for certificates of participation versus general obligation bonds and to brief the board as budget decisions move forward.
No formal votes or budget decisions were taken at the meeting; the board will continue study sessions and provide advisory input to staff and council on TMP outreach and prioritization.
