Council reviews 10‑year finance projection, discusses CFO role and work‑plan prioritization

Councilmembers at a special call meeting examined a ten-year budget projection and related work-plan priorities, discussed assumptions about grant revenue and maintenance-and-operation savings, and debated whether to immediately hire a chief financial officer or rely on interim arrangements and a council subcommittee.

Councilmember Paul Prince said he adjusted a spreadsheet originally prepared by staff to move some water and wastewater project payments later in the 10‑year horizon and to increase certain projected payments to better align with the city’s water master plan. In his model he used conservative grant assumptions and included a recurring inflow from development-related fees and operational surplus. Staff and council discussed a new entry labeled “M&O savings” tied to ongoing efforts to reduce maintenance and operations spending; one councilmember referenced prior estimates that ranged from roughly $3 million on the general-fund side…