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Council discusses FY2027–2031 capital plan; members press for secondary bridge study, sidewalk schedule and meter replacements
Summary
Councilors supported adding a feasibility study for a secondary river bridge to the capital‑improvement plan, asked for a sidewalk multi‑year map and urged more aggressive water‑meter replacement to reduce system losses; no final budget enactment occurred at the meeting.
Councilors resumed discussion of the FY2027–2031 capital‑improvement plan (item 26C‑0013) and approved the motion to adopt the plan with several items to be added or explored.
A council member asked the plan to include a feasibility or construction study for a secondary bridge across the river so that emergency vehicles would have an alternate route if the main bridge were damaged. "God forbid this bridge out here ever got damaged ... it really shut down each side," the member said, urging the study be put on the CIP so the idea can be funded and pursued with IDOT.
Several council members urged the addition of a sidewalk map with year‑by‑year scheduling to provide transparency about when sidewalks will be repaired, and asked that the budget consider an accelerated replacement of water meters, including evaluation of so‑called smart meters and targeted replacement of commercial meters to recover lost revenue. One member noted that replacing meters could recapture revenue lost to unmetered or under‑metered usage.
Council discussion repeatedly noted that priorities are constrained by available funds and that many items are tied to other infrastructure work; members emphasized clearer communication to residents about sequencing. The council directed staff to include the discussed items in the CIP packet and to work with IDOT and other partners where appropriate; final budget decisions were deferred to the formal budget process.
