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Council reviews five‑year CIP and funding gap for paramedic/police facilities
Summary
Public Works Director Rich Siminich outlined completed CIP projects, near-term bids (Sir Francis Drake repaving) and a five-year lookahead. He flagged a facilities‑fund shortfall to complete both a paramedic facility and a new police station and noted an assessment-district proposal for West Ross undergrounding estimated around $22 million.
The Ross Town Council received a detailed update on the five‑year Capital Improvement Plan from Public Works Director Rich Siminich, who reviewed completed projects, current work and future priorities.
Siminich summarized recent work — including Balinas storm drain construction and Morrison Road repaving — and highlighted near‑term bids for the Sir Francis Drake repaving project. He described the project pipeline through fiscal years 2026–2031 and said, "I think the estimates are currently around $22,000,000 under, to be funded under an assessment district," referring to the West Ross Underground and Utility District concept tied to utility undergrounding and site preparation for civic center work.
On facilities funding, Siminich said the town has saved about $12,000,000 toward a civic center project but that completing both a paramedic facility and police station will require additional funds; he presented an estimate of about $8.7 million for the two core facilities and nearly $13 million including site costs. He warned the facilities fund could dip to zero by fiscal year 2029 without new revenue, debt, or grants.
Council members asked about sequencing, contingency for sensitive habitat impacts on project timelines, and whether undergrounding could be decoupled from the larger civic center design. Staff said undergrounding trenching typically occurs in street corridors and does not depend on final driveway alignments; PG&E and rule‑28 credits were discussed as part of the funding strategy.
No final funding decisions were made. Council directed staff to return with more detailed cost breakdowns, potential bond or assessment-district timelines, and the citizens advisory committee's input to inform the FY2026–27 budget deliberations.
