Council Reviews 3‑Year Capital Project List, Staff Urged to Prioritize with Limited Capacity

City Manager Gary (speaker 10) opened the work session's second half by asking the council to weigh in on a three‑year capital projects list and on staff priorities for 2027–2029. He emphasized that, "with the resources that we have ... we don't have the resources to complete all of the projects," and staff presented the projects grouped into three categories: Category 1 (must complete), Category 2 (high priority/likely), and Category 3 (may if time and resources remain).

Staff walked the council through programs across transportation, water, parks and power. Lloyd (speaker 11) described particular Category 1 items including Maple Ridge Drive slope stabilization, Main Street bulb‑out scoping, and a portion of 800 East reconstruction. Council members asked whether items within a column were ranked; Gary said they were not prioritized inside columns because the projects span different departments and replacing or accelerating a project would require moving another project out of that slot.

Council discussion focused on trade-offs between staffing capacity and project delivery. Members asked that the 4th North and 5th South pedestrian crossings be elevated from Category 2 to Category 1 because of recent traffic‑safety conversations; staff noted materials have already been ordered for those crossings. Gary recommended a retreat and budget conversation to resolve staffing and tax‑revenue tradeoffs before committing to moving multiple projects earlier in the plan.