San Jose staff say deferred‑maintenance backlog totals about $2.6 billion and urge new funding strategies

San Jose city staff told the City Council in a study session that a newly updated Deferred Maintenance and Infrastructure Backlog (DMIB) inventory lists roughly $2.6 billion in one‑time unfunded needs and about $259 million in ongoing annual funding required to prevent further deterioration.

The presentation, led by Public Works Director Matt, outlined the DMIB as an inventory of repairs, upgrades and replacements across city assets — from parks and libraries to storm and sanitary systems — and emphasized safety, service continuity and environmental risk as the core rationales for investment. “If you gave us $2,600,000,000 today, we'd solve all these problems,” Matt said during the presentation, noting staff treat the number as a high‑level estimate rather than a precise accounting.

The report shows a particularly large increase in the stormwater backlog after completion of a Phase 2 master plan that identified 17 major storm projects; staff said the storm system backlog now approaches $900 million over a 30‑year planning horizon. Matt said many storm projects involve large outfalls and…