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Commissioners wrestle with FY26 capital priorities as Creeks & Trails funding, roads and flood control compete for limited dollars
Summary
Budget staff and facilities managers briefed the court on a FY26 capital update that shows $2.5B in outstanding debt, $106M unspent cash and an $83.4M county commitment to Creeks & Trails; commissioners debated prioritizing roads and flood control versus trails and leveraging city/MPO grants to cover cost overruns.
County budget and facilities staff briefed the Commissioners Court on the fiscal year 2026 capital program, prompting vigorous discussion about how to prioritize limited capital dollars between the county's Creeks & Trails commitment, failing roads and flood-control needs.
Tanya Gaetane, Budget and Finance Director, presented the county's debt profile and project inventory, saying the county has about $2.5 billion in outstanding debt and is currently set to retire that debt by 2049 if no new bonds are issued. She said the capital portfolio includes roughly 2,247 active projects (51 complete, 56 under construction, 82 in design and 58 not yet started), about $106 million of issued debt funding that has not been spent and approximately $180.6 million in cash associated with projects currently in design.
Tony Canas of Facilities Management summarized the Creeks & Trails program and a Feb. 2022 interlocal agreement with the city, noting the county's intended commitment of $83.4 million to nine trail projects. Canas said one trail (the Zarzaur/Zarsimora Creek Trail) will go to bid and staff requested a $4.7 million transfer to cover cost escalation. The presentation outlined a funding strategy to prioritize shovel-ready projects, partner with the city and River Authority, and leverage a $7.4 million Alamo Area MPO grant that could lower the county's net exposure on certain projects by several million dollars.
Commissioners voiced three recurring concerns. Several argued roads and flood-control projects should receive higher priority than some trail projects, citing estimated unmet needs for failed streets and recent, localized storm damage. One commissioner described examples of sidewalks built without rebar and raised inspection lapses. Other commissioners urged the court to honor prior commitments to the city's greenway program while seeking savings and partnerships to avoid increasing the county's commitment above $83.4 million.
Staff and commissioners discussed specific cost pressures: the Zarzaur Mora bid came in over budget (staff cited an approximate 25% shortfall for that bid due to steep grades and unanticipated retaining-wall work), while other projects in the package are expected to come in under estimate. Amy Zolo (project management) said sequencing and grant leverage could reduce the shortfall across the program to an amount she characterized as "less than $10 million" under some scenarios.
Budget staff outlined next steps: clean up the capital project list prior to the spring budget process, provide precinct-level briefings, and bring over-budget items (Zarzaur Mora and a proposed new animal-control facility) back for specific funding direction. The county judge asked commissioners to communicate priorities to the budget office so staff can assemble concise backup showing the countywide impacts of reallocations.
No formal reallocations or bond issuances were adopted in the meeting; the session was framed as a work session to surface priorities and develop materials for future decisions.
