Dan Petroff, Springfieldity engineer, presented the cityapital Improvement Program (CIP) update covering 2027 through 2031 and outlined why staff recommends shifting emphasis from large street-preservation projects toward wastewater and stormwater work.

Petroff told the council the CIP is a planning tool that feeds the capital-budget process and that funding comes from five sources: user fees, development charges, assessments, bonds and grants. He said the street fund faces continued decreases in revenue — in part because of reduced gas-tax receipts and increasing electric vehicles — while wastewater and stormwater reserves have been stable, so staff proposes focusing limited capital capacity where reserves are strongest.

"We're looking at shifting our project focus from street repairs, and preservation of local streets more to wastewater and stormwater projects," Petroff said, while adding that the city will continue smaller preservation work such as slurry seal and crack seal.

Councilors asked for clearer public messaging because underground projects can appear to deprioritize visible street work. Petroff pointed to the updated wastewater master plan, which shows many older concrete pipes are deteriorating and require work to avoid future system failures. He also said the CIP favors projects that respond to regulatory requirements, preserve existing assets, match council priorities, or address citizen requests.

Members pressed staff on data and prioritization: Councilor Rodley asked whether staff tracks how many times a street is requested by residents; Petroff said the request form captures one entry per resident and that staff could add a column showing request counts to help rank projects. Councilors also queried whether limited in-house engineering capacity constrains the city's ability to deliver projects; Petroff said consultants are used where needed and that hiring more staff could reduce consultant costs but recruitment is difficult.

Petroff said advancing major street preservation beyond slurry and crack-seal will likely require passing another bond or establishing a stable funding source such as a transportation utility fee. He said the CIP update provides the project list that will inform next yearudgeting and that staff had enough direction to proceed.

Next steps: Staff will incorporate council feedback on tracking and public communication as the CIP moves toward formal approval and the capital-budget process.