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Newport council briefed on plan for $38 million November 2026 bond
Summary
Consultant Jeremy Wright told the council the city narrowed $154 million in identified capital needs to a $38 million bond package focused on critical, shovel-ready projects; polling will be fielded next week and results presented May 18 to guide messaging and ballot language.
Consultant Jeremy Wright of Wright Public Affairs presented the city’s proposal for a November 2026 $38,000,000 capital bond and a timeline for outreach and ballot placement. Wright said the package is the product of the city’s 10-year facilities and infrastructure master plan and subsequent prioritization, noting the plan initially identified roughly $154,000,000 in needs and was narrowed through scoring and community input.
“Council direction and community outreach brought you down to a $38,000,000 bond project,” Jeremy Wright said, framing the proposal as a focused request not intended to raise the tax rate. He told the council there is an August 15 administrative deadline to place the measure on the November ballot and that voters will decide in November 2026.
Wright emphasized that the package prioritizes critical and shovel-ready work—water system resilience, wastewater, transportation and pedestrian safety, community parks and accessibility, and public safety—and that bond proceeds are legally restricted to voter-approved purposes. He told the council work could begin soon after passage and that collections would begin in 2029 as an existing bond expires.
Next procedural steps include finalizing a polling instrument this week, fielding a voter-file-based poll next week, and a return presentation of results on May 18 to refine messaging and draft ballot caption language.
