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Bozeman staff outline $300M five-year CIP, highlight water and ERP cost updates and limited flexibility for new safety spending
Summary
In a work session the commission reviewed updates to the FY27–31 Capital Improvements Plan, including an increased class estimate for Bogart Pool, a $700,000 scope increase for water-reclamation phase 1 yielding downstream savings, and a $6.5 million implementation estimate for the EDGE (ERP) project; staff said transportation safety funds are largely committed despite recent Oak Street fatality.
City staff presented updates to the recommended Capital Improvements Plan for fiscal years 2027–2031 during a March 10 work session, detailing revised cost estimates, schedule changes and funding constraints that will inform final adoption scheduled for March 24.
Finance and project staff said Bogart Pool’s cost estimate has been updated to $3.1 million (class 3), Lindley Center remains a planning-level estimate ($2.5 million) and the base hydraulic phase 1 (water reclamation) is now estimated at $13.4 million with an approximately $700,000 increase tied to scope adjustments that allowed the city to postpone phase 2 and realize roughly $16 million in schedule savings. Staff emphasized that the EDGE (enterprise data/government efficiency/ERP replacement) project is an organization-wide implementation and optimization effort estimated at about $6.5 million across core financials, HR/permitting and utility billing components, focused on consultant implementation, data migration and staff change management rather than just software acquisition.
Commissioners raised questions about whether CIP funds could be reallocated to accelerate pedestrian and bicycle safety measures following a recent fatality on Oak Street. Director of Transportation Nick Ross described recent investments on Oak Street — intersection improvements, pedestrian signals and nearly $1 million in upcoming work for the corridor — and said transportation funding sources are largely maximized and constrained by legal uses; staff said there are no obvious CIP projects to defer that would free funding for immediate safety reallocation without additional revenue.
Staff also discussed the category of 'unscheduled' projects (about $389 million listed), explaining these items are typically six to ten years out or projects awaiting reliable funding sources (for example, many local street reconstructions depend on Special Improvement District formation and resident buy-in).
Why it matters: the CIP sets multi-year priorities and funding expectations; changes to major projects (water reclamation, facilities, EDGE) affect capital budgeting, project sequencing and potential rate or tax impacts when the budget is adopted this spring and in June.
Next steps: staff will return March 24 for adoption of the CIP and continue budget review; commissioners scheduled further work sessions on pedestrian and cyclist safety, budget balancing and potential funding choices.
