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San Juan County Council delays vote on 2026 capital plan, asks staff for clearer fund breakdowns
Summary
Council opened a public hearing on the 2026 Capital Improvement Plan, questioned line-item fund sources and duplicate entries, and voted to continue the hearing to Dec. 9 so staff can correct spreadsheets and provide beginning/ending balances for REIT and capital reserves.
San Juan County Council opened a public hearing on Dec. 1 to consider a resolution updating the 2026 annual improvement plan and approving the 2026–2031 six-year Capital Improvement Plan but deferred action to give staff time to correct funding breakdowns and clerical errors.
Heather Lee, the county’s Chief Deputy Auditor, walked the council through the CIP structure and the list of projects, citing funding sources including REIT, state and federal grants, the clean water utility and public-works loan funds. "We have $693,110 reserved in capital reserves for the capital improvement plan for 2026," Lee said during the review of department requests, summarizing the account-level amounts included in the plan.
Council members raised repeated concerns about clarity and consistency in the spreadsheets. Council member Fuller pressed staff to show how totals at the right side of the worksheet break down by REIT 1, REIT 2 and capital reserves, saying the table should reflect "beginning cash, ending cash" to make it usable for policy decisions. Staff agreed to provide those balances and to move duplicate project lines into single entries for readability.
Specific project questions included several environmental stewardship and marine restoration items—such as Falls Bay Creek corridor restoration ($125,000) and Jackson Beach restoration ($474,000)—and facilities requests including a $2 million placeholder for a historic courthouse renovation tied to a $1.5 million state reimbursement grant. Staff said they would also add a clear funding column for multi-source projects.
After public testimony (none present), the council voted to continue the CIP public hearing to December 9 to allow staff to correct labeling errors and supply the requested fund-level detail. The continuation preserves the opportunity for further public comment when the council reconvenes on the revised packet.
The hearing will reopen on Dec. 9 so the council can review corrected spreadsheets and consider a final resolution.
