Transportation and access dominated a large portion of the discussion, with staff presenting about $11 million for FY27 and approximately $51 million across five years for transportation lines.

On sidewalks, staff said the packet includes a prioritized list of sidewalk tiers to be replaced and noted a sizable increase in the new sidewalks line. Dominion pole remediation was added to help clear right‑of‑way obstructions; staff said the $100,000 line is mainly to buy right‑of‑way to improve accessibility, prompting a council question about how many poles that amount could move.

The bicycle infrastructure fund was discussed extensively. Councilors urged returning to prior real funding levels (Speaker 2 suggested restoring $200,000 or an inflation adjusted $275,000 per year) to build a stable pipeline, while staff emphasized the current approach ties funding to specific project lists and that some bike improvements will be implemented by coordinating with larger repaving projects on Cherry and West Main.

Street milling and paving levels are being increased to address a backlog; staff said the change aims to catch up on deferred maintenance rather than raise a pavement quality target.

Transit replacement and alternative fuels were also on the table. Speaker 3 said "we have a commitment to convert our fleet" to pilot both battery‑electric and hydrogen buses and noted staff will need to align facilities and fuel infrastructure with that commitment. Staff confirmed the city’s recent NOLO federal grant application for depot upgrades was declined and that other funding avenues remain under consideration.

Next steps include staff returning with clearer project lists and cost estimates for sidewalks and bicycle projects ahead of budget adoption.