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Moderator outlines 'dot democracy' to rank Colonial Beach's FY26 capital projects
Summary
Councilors used an interactive 'dot democracy' exercise to rank 16 FY26 capital projects from a $22 million CIP list; staff will return with a prioritized work plan, financial details and a likely August timeline. No formal CIP votes were taken.
Colonial Beach — The council spent the meeting prioritizing capital improvement projects for fiscal 2026 using a hands-on "dot democracy" exercise, and asked staff to return with a detailed work plan and financial analysis before any formal decisions are made.
The moderator opened a workshop-style session and explained the process: participants would place colored dots to indicate priorities, with red dots reserved for legally mandated or life-safety items. "So we have some different colored dots, and they mean something," the moderator said, introducing the method and instructing participants to be "judicial" with a limited supply of votes.
Why it matters: Council members said prioritization is necessary because the CIP lists roughly $22,000,000 in projects spread over multiple years and the town must pare that to what it can reasonably execute in FY26. Several members said lower-cost items might be easier to move forward while larger projects will require more complex funding plans.
During the exercise, participants narrowed the active list to the 16 projects that have FY26 allocations. A number of councilors urged staff to validate which projects labeled "1" truly qualify as urgent safety or legal obligations. "Are we sure all the ones are actually ones?" one councilor asked, urging staff to confirm the highest-priority designations before action.
Councilors raised specific examples and requests. One participant called the exercise "information overload," saying the dot results felt anonymous and asking that future summaries include which members supported each item. Another councilor noted that an $80,000 beach nourishment request could be easier to fund than a $1,000,000 project, and that understanding timing and total cost would affect support.
Participants also discussed fleet and equipment replacement. A councilor flagged trash and other town vehicles as foreseeable replacements and asked staff to clarify which purchases are already funded so they do not create sudden, unplanned budget requests. One councilor said, "If it's already funded, why is it even on the [CIP]? You've already voted to fund it." The moderator and staff agreed to prepare clearer status reports.
Staff follow-up: A staff member said staff will coordinate with consultant Davenport to produce a prioritized plan and timeline and expects to have a better idea of timing after consulting Davenport. The staff member estimated the work would likely require at least a month of preparation and suggested the council could aim for an August work session to review the plan.
No formal votes on CIP priorities were recorded. The meeting ended with a routine adjournment motion and voice votes that closed the session.
What comes next: Staff will return with a FY26 work plan that lists confirmed priority 1 projects and proposed next steps for priority 2 items, along with schedule and financial details. Councilors requested that future interactive exercises be announced in advance and that staff provide clearer documentation tying related projects together.
