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Lee's Summit staff previews $52M in proposed CIP projects and reports low change‑order overruns for 2025
Summary
City staff presented a draft FY2027 Capital Improvement Plan proposing about $52 million in new projects over five years and outlined priorities for sequencing and public input; construction staff reported an aggregate change‑order rate of 3.84% for 2025 projects.
City Engineer George Binger told the Public Works Committee that staff are proposing 20 new projects totaling about $52 million over the next five years as part of the draft FY2027 Capital Improvement Plan. Binger said the list includes potential accelerations (such as parts of the Todd George Parkway) and opportunities to package bridge rehabilitation projects to gain bidding efficiency.
Binger said listing a project in the CIP does not obligate funding; he described next steps: staff will publish the draft and open a public comment period beginning April 3, present the draft to the Planning Commission on April 23 and return to the council for a formal resolution in May to align with the budget cycle.
During the roundtable, Perry Allen, construction manager, presented final numbers for projects closed in calendar 2025. Allen said the aggregate program totaled roughly $63 million with a change‑order rate of 3.84% (approximately $2.5 million in additional work) and, excluding scope additions that added value, an overrun near 1.19%. Allen noted the city completed hundreds of property‑interest acquisitions in 2025 and that only 0.3% proceeded to condemnation; one outstanding condemnation matter (named in transcript) remains unresolved.
Council members discussed sidewalk prioritization, asking staff to return in the fall with more detail on connectivity, prior phases and a proposed approach that emphasizes "bang for the buck"—focusing on segments that create continuous sidewalks rather than short, costly fills that require retaining walls or property purchase.
Binger and staff also discussed sequencing trade‑offs with Water Utilities' projects to avoid conflicts in the same corridor and mentioned the downtown parking garage as a potential public‑private partnership candidate. Committee members praised the presentation and the city's construction closeout performance.
The committee was asked to consider whether to accelerate particular projects or to revise priorities; staff said they will provide further details on scoring and the sidewalk gap program when the committee revisits the CIP later in the year.
