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Council hears trade‑offs: pathways and roadwork phased as beach renourishment dominates FY26 CIP; stormwater funding increased
Summary
Council members were told FY26 pathway and roadway spending is reduced in-year to phase projects across the five‑year CIP so staff can align projects with permitting and construction timelines; stormwater funding rose and staff highlighted pump‑station overhaul planning.
Council members used the March 13 workshop to press staff on how the beach renourishment project affects other capital priorities, including pathways, roadways and stormwater investments.
Assistant town manager Sean Leininger and town manager Mark Orlando stressed the reduction in pathway and roadway funding for FY26 represents phasing, not abandonment. "This does represent a reduction this year," Leininger said of the pathway program, but he and council members emphasized the town kept higher‑priority pathway work in the out years and is focusing FY26 dollars on design so larger construction follows in FY27 and FY28.
Council members asked that the dashboard clearly indicate whether a line item reflects a timing decision or permanent cut. One council member noted that pathway funding shows a roughly 70 percent drop for FY26 and urged staff to show out‑year allocations so the public understands the multi‑year plan.
On roadways, staff described a $5.1 million program covering pavement maintenance, adaptive traffic signals (including battery backups), dirt‑road paving and corridor planning for William Hilton Parkway segments. Orlando said the town will pursue state and federal grants to address larger corridor work and that some state‑owned sections will require SCDOT coordination.
Stormwater funding was highlighted as a growing CIP priority. Staff moved stormwater maintenance agreements into the CIP for FY26, increasing resources for POA reimbursement and maintenance; they also outlined planning for a comprehensive overhaul of the Central Island (Wexford) pump station with a preliminary cost estimate on the order of $7 million. Engineering staff said some projects have been delayed or slowed because of federal wetland permitting and other jurisdictional reviews.
Council members praised the planning approach but urged staff to clarify funding sources and to prepare a communications plan for residents in neighborhoods affected by staging, detours or sequencing.
