Council trims $100,000 from proposed water amendment, prioritizes Skyway Gardens work
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Summary
At an Oct. 21 workshop, Alpine councilors and staff agreed to remove a $100,000 lead‑and‑copper contingency from a proposed $1.2 million water amendment, reducing the request to about $1.1 million and directing funds toward Skyway Gardens and Southeast Side water work while staff reconciles other budget lines.
Alpine held a budget workshop Oct. 21 to review proposed amendments to the 2025–26 water, wastewater and sanitation budgets, focusing on funding for Skyway Gardens water work and immediate distribution system needs. Mayor K. and staff discussed trimming a $1.2 million proposed amendment after utilities staff said lead‑and‑copper tasks could be completed in‑house.
Why it matters: The amendment was intended to cover several high‑priority projects, including Skyway Gardens work and distribution repairs on the Southeast Side. Removing the $100,000 lead‑and‑copper line lowers the amendment to roughly $1.1 million and preserves flexibility pending the city’s fund balance and further accounting reconciliation.
Staff and councilors discussed timing and contingencies. Michael, the utilities lead, told the council the department expects to complete the lead‑and‑copper work with in‑house staff: “I think we can get a … we can hire in house. We don't have to do it, hire outside.” He also cautioned council that complications could require returning for additional funds and said, “if something happens down the pipeline, then I'm gonna have to ask for, hey… you've got two years to get it done.”
Councilors and staff agreed on an approach: remove the $100,000 contingency for now and allow utilities to proceed, with the understanding staff will return if the work cannot be completed within available resources. The reduction effectively focuses the amendment on Skyway Gardens and other distribution priorities; one council member summarized the revised allocation as “now we're down to 1.1, which is 900,000 for Skyway Gardens and to work that.”
Staff flagged other potential offsets while reconciling the budget, including unspent or differently coded maintenance and CIP line items. Victoria, who prepared the packet, said she will continue auditing where prior years’ distribution and line maintenance charges were recorded and report back to the council before finalizing amendments.
Next steps: Staff said an agreement with Jacob Martin should be ready at the next meeting to begin Skyway Gardens work. Council directed staff to proceed with the reduced amendment and to return if additional funds are required.
Ending: No formal vote occurred at the workshop; the council agreed to continue the review and include the updated amendment on a future meeting agenda once staff completes reconciliations and the agreement with the project contractor is in hand.
