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RMC recommends Austin Water drinking-water protection CIP for council; 11 projects, FY27-31 spending ~ $109M (total program $313M)
Summary
The Resource Management Commission voted 7-0 to recommend that City Council include 11 drinking-water protection capital projects in Austin Water's FY27-31 CIP; the five-year spending plan column is about $109 million and the projects' lifecycle total is about $313 million, commissioners were told.
The Resource Management Commission on June 16 unanimously recommended that City Council include Austin Water's drinking-water protection capital projects in the FY27-31 capital improvement plan.
Capital Assets Accounting Team Manager Bridal Guo and Infrastructure Management Division Manager Martin Tower presented the memo required by Financial Policy Number 8. The materials list 11 drinking-water protection projects; the FY27-31 spending plan column for those projects totals about $109,000,000, and the presenters said the projects' full lifecycle (total spending plan) sums to roughly $313,000,000.
Commissioners asked clarifying questions about schedule, the difference between the five-year spending column and the total project cost, and which projects are design-phase versus construction-phase. Martin Tower said the FY27-31 column reflects funds planned in the five-year CIP window and that larger construction spending may occur outside that window for multi-year projects; he described one large project (a Davis Water transmission main) as a design-phase effort now that will move to more significant construction spending later.
Commissioner Silverstein asked for the total five-year number; presenters pointed to the memo pages and confirmed the FY27-31 column. Financial staff (Tina Romero) said Austin Water published a five-year rate and budget outlook online and that affordability considerations were integrated into the 2024 cost-of-service study that informs rate planning.
The commission moved to recommend adoption of the drinking-water protection projects for inclusion in the city's CIP and the motion passed on a 7-0 vote.
What was requested or required: The commission's recommendation is advisory to Council; staff will include these projects in the CIP submission to the city manager and council in mid-July. Detailed project descriptions, spending plans and maps are included in the memo attachments.
Context: The presentation covered growth- and capacity-related projects inside the drinking-water protection zone; Austin Water staff said the department's larger CIP includes over 350 projects and that the 11 items in this memo track with recent CIP growth but are not dramatically larger than prior years' drinking-water protection submissions.
Next steps: The projects will be carried forward to the manager and council as part of the FY27 budget/CIP process; commissioners may revisit the list as budget and project delivery plans evolve.
