The Des Moines City Council Committee of the Whole heard a staff briefing Nov. 6 on the draft 2026–2031 Capital Improvement Plan (CIP), which lists 87 projects totaling roughly $175,275,000. Jeff Fran, the city’s finance director, said about $123,014,000 appears secured through grants and other sources, while $46,504,000 are identified but not yet awarded grants and $5,757,000 remain without identified funding.

The committee-level presentation focused on projects planned for 2026 because those expenditures are part of the coming year’s budget process. "When you get closer in on the present, a CIP becomes much more really grounded in reality," Fran said. Staff emphasized that near‑term projects tend to be fully funded, while projects in later years are planning placeholders used to pursue grant opportunities.

Why it matters: the CIP informs the 2026 budget and prioritizes capital work across five categories — building/facilities, municipal capital projects, marina, surface‑water management and transportation — that drive what the city will bid and build next year.

Major figures and near‑term focus
- 2026 planned expenditures total about $33,859,000.
- Project status: 68 fully funded, 15 partially funded, 4 unfunded (87 total).
- By category for 2026: building/facilities ~$380,000; marina ~$880,000; municipal capital ~$17,000,000; surface‑water management ~$5,000,000; transportation ~ $10,500,000.

Selected projects noted in the presentation
- Marin a: A tenant restroom replacement at the marina will use a prefabricated building to provide four tenant unisex restrooms, one new public restroom and a porta‑potty dump station; staff expect permitting and construction in 2026. Scott Wilkins of the Des Moines Marina said the restroom project will be "dressed up on the outside" and is intended to lower design and construction costs by using prefab methods.
- Redondo float replacement: staff plan to replicate recently replaced south‑side floats on the north side using grant funding and city contributions; a permit is pending with construction hoped for in 2026.
- Surface‑water: replacement of approximately 2,000 linear feet of corrugated metal pipe (5th Avenue and 212th Street) will begin design next year with construction projected in 2027. The estuary project is in progress toward 30% design; design is funded through about $900,000 of an anticipated $1,030,000 design cost, while construction is currently estimated conservatively at $16.5 million and expected to be paid by grants.
- 16th Avenue pipe project: staff reported a scope change after feasibility work showed conveyance could be diverted into existing systems, shifting the work to upsizing and upgrading an existing alignment with an aggressive design and construction schedule targeted for 2026.
- Transportation: North Hill Elementary walkway improvements (Safe Routes to School grant, roughly $3 million) are in design and expected to bid in early 2026; Barnes Creek Trail contract work has been awarded with Sound Transit and state appropriations totaling about $5.5 million; a neighborhood traffic‑calming project would install 10 speed cushions across five locations and is scheduled to be bid for work into 2026.

Staff and staffing
Fran thanked staff across departments for CIP preparation and recognized Jackson Swigert, the city’s principal accountant, as the central point of contact who rebuilt the project records and coordinated with engineering and department leads.

Next steps
The CIP draft will be included in the upcoming budget materials and be before the council as part of the public hearing process for budget adoption next week. Staff told the committee they will present more detailed schedules and cost estimates for large design efforts (for example, the estuary) as those design milestones arrive.

What’s not decided: multiple projects in the out‑years remain contingent on grant awards or identification of other funding sources; staff noted that secured numbers include awards in hand while unsecured grants reflect applications or awards pending.

Speakers quoted or referenced in this article appear in the transcript and include Jeff Fran (finance director), Jackson Swigert (principal accountant), Scott Wilkins (Des Moines Marina), Alex Johnson (surface water engineer) and Tommy Owens (city engineer).