Escondido staff previews $128 million capital portfolio, launches public CIP dashboard; council asks for final budget June 18

City staff on June 11 presented a preliminary 10-year capital improvement program (CIP) and a test-version interactive dashboard designed to show the public where capital projects stand and how they are funded.

The presentation said the city's current project and program portfolio totals about $94 million, with staff proposing additions that bring the total CIP portfolio to roughly $128 million when fiscal year 2026 allocations are included. Staff recommended that the council authorize preparation of the fiscal years 2026–2035 CIP and return with a final document for adoption on 2025-06-18.

Why it matters: the CIP includes road and drainage projects, park improvements, utility work and multi-year programs that shape service levels and public safety. Staff proposed allocating $2 million in Measure I funds to the city street maintenance program, which would allow repaving of approximately eight additional lane miles across all four council districts; utilities requested $6.7 million from the Water Enterprise Fund reserve and $3.346 million from the Wastewater Enterprise Fund reserve for specific one-time projects; staff said they are pursuing a WIFIA loan of $96,434,254 for the Lake Wolford Dam replacement.

Staff presentations and examples: Lynn Cruz, city accountant, and other utilities and engineering staff outlined the portfolio and funding sources. Staff said the city currently manages 72 capital projects and 24 ongoing programs. The presentation noted completed work in fiscal year 2025, including 34 lane miles resurfaced and replacement of play equipment at several parks; it also said the Grand Avenue Vision Phase 2 project will hold a grand opening this Friday.

Vinny Bernabeo, management analyst, demonstrated a test version of the planned public CIP dashboard, saying "the main focus of this tool is the interactive GIS map" that will allow users to click a project, see status (design, construction, complete), scope, funding sources and time-stamped updates. Staff said the tool is in a test environment and will be live shortly after the beginning of the fiscal year; they described work to establish a cadence so updates will be timely.

Council questions and staff clarifications: council members asked for more detail on several specific items. When asked about ongoing change order negotiations for the Citricado Parkway extension, staff said the contractor is in dispute with the city over some change orders; some claims have been paid as legitimate, others are contested and require the construction manager to review documentary backup before payment. City staff noted there is a contractual pathway to mediation if parties cannot agree.

On the Lake Wolford Dam replacement, Utilities Director Angela Morrow said the dam dates to the 1890s (original construction and later modifications) and emphasized the scale and safety rationale for the replacement, a point she urged the public to consider when seeing the large cost estimates.

Councilmembers also sought clarity on what the dashboard's project status labels mean. Staff explained that "construction" covers a range of activities from contract execution and pre-construction submittals to on-site work; some projects show "construction" while long-lead items (for example, signal poles) may delay visible on-site work.

Public comments folded into the discussion: a downtown business owner, Giovino Rossini of Kettle on Grand, urged council to add a grant program in the current fiscal budget to reimburse small businesses that he said experienced losses during the Grand Avenue construction; Rossini told the council he and his business "lost over a $100,000," liquidated retirement savings and took on credit card debt during the seven-month construction period. Staff noted the Grand Avenue Vision Phase 2 had been planned and approved years earlier and is now concluding construction.

Next steps and staff direction: staff asked the council to authorize preparation of the final CIP and to return with the final document on 2025-06-18 for adoption. Council members signaled support for the dashboard and asked staff to provide clearer phase-level updates in the tool and additional context on recurring small-program budgets such as the traffic-safety annual allocation.

Ending: staff will return to council with the final CIP document for adoption on 2025-06-18; the dashboard will move from test to live shortly after the beginning of the fiscal year and staff said they will develop a schedule to keep it current.