Thousand Oaks council reviews $159.6 million proposed CIP, schedules public hearing for June 10

City staff presented a proposed $159.6 million capital improvement program covering fiscal years 2025–27 and a five‑year planning horizon, and the Thousand Oaks City Council voted 5‑0 to accept the report and schedule a public hearing for June 10.

Finance Director Jamie Boscarino told council the CIP includes 147 projects across categories such as water ($33.8 million), facilities ($28.8 million largely for the downtown project), streets and transportation, landscape, and stormwater. Boscarino said the budget is a planning document that balances carryover funds, capital reserves and grant opportunities and that staff will return with an operating budget and the CIP for adoption on June 10.

The draft highlights resiliency measures prompted by recent widespread power outages and wildfire risk, including battery energy storage at libraries to support cooling centers and shelters, large‑scale generators and power backup at pump stations, advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) for water customers, and microgrid work at the municipal services center. Boscarino said the city has set aside capital reserves and identified grant prospects but will pause grant‑funded projects until funding is secured.

Councilmembers pressed staff on prioritization and flexibility. Mayor Pro Tem Taylor and Councilmember Engler emphasized resiliency investments such as backup power at water facilities and traffic signals, and asked how secure funding is for projects if federal or state grants are delayed or reduced. Boscarino said core resiliency projects would proceed from dedicated fund balances (for example, water‑fund projects coming from water capital revenue) even without grants, while other projects could be postponed or held at design to preserve flexibility.

Councilmember Adam asked whether drainage work tied to a Newbury Park neighborhood in the FEMA floodplain (South Branch Arroyo Conejo drainage improvements) was the correct project; staff confirmed the project is intended to upsize conveyances and to study whether updated hydrology could remove properties from the floodplain without construction. Staff said that study will return to council later in the year.

Councilmembers also discussed the downtown Thousand Oaks project, undergrounding of overhead utilities along Hodecnamp (Hodencamp) Road in coordination with private development, bike lanes on Lynn Road and Hillcrest Drive (with Class 4 protected lanes planned), and funding for transit fleet electrification and transit resiliency. Boscarino said some projects already have cash set aside (she cited about $40 million toward the downtown project) and that staff remains cautious about grant uncertainty and construction cost inflation.

Mayor Pro Tem Taylor moved to accept the proposed CIP report, find the action not a project under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), and schedule a public hearing for June 10; the motion passed 5‑0. Council also voted 5‑0 to approve the consent calendar earlier in the meeting and to accept two trip reports (see Votes at a glance).