Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Capital Planning topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
San Miguel County staff present draft capital plan; commissioners ask for clearer fund balances and reserve targets
Summary
County staff presented a first draft capital plan and asset inventory, highlighting $17.8M in depreciated building assets and the need to define reserve targets, department‑level costs, and financing options for housing projects before committing to major projects.
County staff presented a first iteration of a consolidated capital plan to San Miguel County commissioners on Feb. 11, urging a shorter, realistic planning horizon and clearer fund‑balance targets before committing to large new projects.
Jared Biggs and Ramona (county staff) walked commissioners through an inventory and several key figures. Staff noted $17.8 million in depreciated building value on county books and a land book value of roughly $11 million; using a 2.5% industry guideline for annual maintenance on capital assets would imply roughly $445,000 per year in maintenance spending, a level staff said the county has not consistently achieved. Jared said the previous 10‑year plan was “very aspirational,” and the new exercise is intended to be an operational tool to track replacement costs and ongoing maintenance.
Discussion focused on how the county accounts for capital versus operating costs — especially for Road & Bridge, which recently secured an additional 1.9‑mill levy — and on vehicle lease accounting. Staff said lease vehicles are generally expensed annually (the county records minimal depreciable value where leases are used) but are tracked for insurability and replacement planning. Commissioners pressed staff to separate true capital projects (large, one‑time costs) from recurring maintenance and departmental operating costs so the board can compare major project proposals against realistic fund balances.
Staff provided illustrative housing project estimates to illustrate debt service implications. Examples included an Alley/Alien Valley concept with approximately $2 million expected this year and a conceptual 30,000‑square‑foot build‑out roughly estimated at $27 million; design work for the Deep Creek project was estimated at about $122,000 for the current cycle. Commissioners asked staff to model debt‑service scenarios, potential public–private partnership options, and the fund‑balance impacts of several multi‑year projects before the board prioritizes work.
Next steps: staff will refine the capital plan with clearer departmental totals, propose reserve targets for the capital and general funds, supply square‑footage and debt‑service scenarios for proposed housing projects, and return with a more concise menu of priority projects for the board to approve.
