Council briefed on $612 million CIP roll forward; operational roll forwards total about $16 million

Budget Manager Myra Cantu told the City of Georgetown City Council that the proposed CIP roll-forward budget amendment carries roughly $612,000,000 of capital project budgets into FY2025 and includes about $8,700,000 of interest appropriations.

Cantu said operational roll-forwards total approximately $16,000,000, with the largest single operational item in water at about $7,400,000. She provided a list of large capital projects to be carried forward and explained the roll-forward process, which preserves budget authority for multi-year projects when expenses are not fully incurred in the originally budgeted year.

Cantu described how the roll-forward works: if a multi-year project had unspent budget authority at year end, that unused portion moves into the next fiscal year so the project can be completed. She said a full list of projects is included in Exhibit B of the amendment materials.

She identified several major capital projects included in the roll forward: the South Lake Water Treatment Plant, Berry Creek Interceptor, the St. Gabriel Wastewater Treatment Plant rehabilitation, DB Woods, Shell Road and the Downtown Parking Garage. Cantu said the operational roll-forward items include fire capital expenditures ($246,000), a marketing/Ask GTX item ($50,000), a land purchase for future municipal facilities (about $801,000), and ongoing clean-up and reclassification of the solid waste fund leading to a $17,000,000 roll-forward in that fund.

Cantu listed IT and equipment items included in the roll-forward: two electric bucket trucks and additional Ford F-150 trucks for water, $300,000 to expand fiber to Ronald Reagan, a $200,000 Windows servicing license upgrade, $100,000 for a streetlight audit, $100,000 for an advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) needs assessment, and $19,000 for a specific staff training that was not held in 2024. She said the water operational roll-forward largely funds a packaged plant needed while wastewater rehabs proceed and that the solid waste fund reclassification was a timing/cleanup item.

Cantu told council the ordinance for the roll forward will have a first reading that evening and a second reading scheduled for January 28. She said a mid-year amendment is likely in May to capture any changes that arise before the mid-year review.

Council did not take formal action during the workshop; staff said the item would proceed through the ordinance readings and then the mid‑year process.