Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Capital Improvement Plan topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council weighs $502 million CIP, adds three removed projects to future list in 4–3 vote
Summary
Finance staff presented Version 2 of the FY27–31 CIP totaling about $502 million; council discussed homeowner impacts, Safe Routes to School funding and ward distribution and voted 4–3 to place three previously‑removed projects into the CIP's future project list.
Finance Director Andy Zeller presented Version 2 of the proposed FY27–31 Capital Improvement Plan to the council, describing a five‑year portfolio of roughly $502 million across 128 projects and a Year 1 total near $103 million.
Zeller reviewed edits since the prior draft: staff removed the 5th Avenue Corridor and the 21st Street underpass from the five‑year list, moved an evidence facility lot expansion to the public safety fund, and recommended putting planning dollars in FY27 to better define later construction costs. He also walked the council through online tools and an Excel spreadsheet that allows the public and councilors to filter projects and funding sources.
Zeller said the CIP includes estimated rate increases that, if enacted, would raise the average homeowner impact from about $1,400 per year in the current year to about $1,900 by FY31. He also reported around $20 million of Safe Routes to School projects remain in the program and that many will be completed in waves or when paired with other projects.
Council members pressed staff on mapping and equity. Council member Nees said wards in the Heights appear to receive a smaller share of projects in the five‑year horizon and asked for better ward filtering and clearer department breakdowns. Zeller acknowledged some mapping limitations for multiyear or annual programmatic projects such as water pipe replacement and suggested better filters and clarifications could be added to the online map.
During public comment on the CIP, residents proposed targeted street work (King Avenue West/24th Street) and raised questions about Amen/Amon Park turf funding and who should contribute to large park amenities.
The council then considered a motion by the mayor to move three previously removed projects—the 21st Street underpass, the 5th Avenue Trail Corridor and Cottonwood Park—into the CIP's "future projects" list (not the funded five‑year window) so they remain visible for grants and later prioritization. The motion was seconded by Council member Nees and passed on a 4–3 vote (Yes: Gulick, Nees, Boyette, Cole; No: Rogers, Tidswell, Kennedy). The change amends the draft for the public record; final CIP adoption remains scheduled for December 8.
Councilors requested additional follow‑up on timing, bonding capacity for the South Park Pool (a planned $10 million project), and the potential to smooth programmatic schedules across departments to avoid overloading the delivery pipeline. Staff agreed to provide follow‑up materials to council and the public ahead of the adoption meeting.
