Ferguson City Council reviews draft CIP with $8.6 million in requests, parks plan hinges on $4.6 million grant

Ferguson City Council met in a work session to review changes to the draft Capital Improvement Program for fiscal 2026–27, with Finance Director Audra Penkins saying the draft totals about $8.6 million for 2027 and that several large projects are grant‑dependent.

Penkins told the council, “the big number, that we have to mitigate is $8,600,000.” She said that the single largest line is a parks project of about $4,600,000 that is listed as a grant and “will not happen unless the grant is approved and funds become available.” With that parks line and other grant items deducted, Penkins said the city’s expected out‑of‑pocket obligation is closer to $3,700,000.

The finance director also noted a reimbursement expected for a recently completed community center playground: staff said the city anticipates “approximately $450,000 in reimbursement for that project.” Council members asked when grant decisions and reimbursements would be known; Penkins said staff did not yet have firm dates and that many grant awards would be written in the coming fiscal year.

Council members pressed for revenue context. When asked about capital‑improvement sales‑tax revenue, staff initially deferred and later provided revised figures in the meeting: the finance team said the actual sales‑tax revenue for 2024 was $3.5 million and that the 2026 budgeted figure is $2.2 million. Staff said earlier statements would be corrected and that a full revenue breakdown would be provided to council.

Parks and related projects drew detailed questioning. Councilwoman Noah asked whether the Nesbitt Newton Park renovation would begin in spring; staff said the project is likely to come forward in February–March as the budget cycle advances. On Wabash Lake, staff described a proposed aeration and dredging study with the Missouri Department of Conservation to assess silt buildup and a failing retaining wall; staff said a full dredge could approach a half‑million dollars and emphasized the figure is a low‑side estimate.

Street repairs and traffic calming were also discussed. A $500,000 line for street replacement was shown; staff said a public‑works list of candidate streets had been emailed previously and agreed to resend the list. Council asked whether speed humps (including Meadowcrest) and guardrail repairs on Paul and Brotherton Streets were included; staff confirmed some speed‑hump work and said guardrails would be reviewed in coordination with sidewalk and street projects.

Several departmental equipment and infrastructure requests were highlighted. Notable changes include an increase in the current‑year fleet lease by $33,000 tied to an unmarked vehicle that staff said will be reimbursed; a change to IT funding that raises current spending from $60,000 to $220,000 in order to purchase aging servers and security upgrades while shifting to a biennial replacement schedule; and a $40,000 request for a Veeder‑Root leak‑detection system for the city fuel tanks after a prior leak.

Staff also reviewed facility, police and fire items that appear elsewhere in the CIP but were presented as changed or new requests. The presentation identified the parks grant and other orange‑highlighted items as contingent on external funding; staff said they will return with contracts and approvals if grants are awarded.

No formal votes were taken on CIP items during the session. Penkins said staff will bring a revised CIP back to the council during the official budget season, when the administration will make additional cuts and provide updated grant statuses.

The meeting concluded with routine announcements and a motion to adjourn, which passed.