Council slated to review capital improvements plan
Published 12:53 am Monday, February 27, 2017
- PROMENADE SPRUCE UP: Washington’s waterfront promenade is scheduled for about $30,000 in additional improvements in fiscal year 2019-2020. For this fiscal year, the city budgeted $30,000 to clean and paint the promenade’s railings, benches, trash receptacles and posts.
Washington’s 2018-2022 capital-improvements plan is scheduled to be reviewed by the City Council during its meeting Monday.
The city’s capital-improvements plan — a detailed report on major building projects and significant equipment purchases scheduled for the next several years — is used to help develop the city’s future budgets. Currently, the city is developing its 2017-2018 fiscal year budget.
The city has adopted a pay-as-you-go plan when it comes to major capital expenditures, proceeding with CIP projects when the money is there, sometimes splitting a project into phases funded over several years. The council assigns priorities to CIP projects to determine when they will be funded, or if they are funded.
Capital expenditures of $20,000 or more must be included in the CIP before funding is allocated in the budget, according to city policy. In case of emergencies, sometimes that policy is waived. The plan addresses major expenditures such as new vehicles, stormwater (drainage) projects, water and sewer projects and computer hardware and software upgrades or replacements. The council decides which proposed projects receiving funding, whether a project will be completed in phases and when a project begins.
The general-fund projects in the CIP total $10 million during the next five fiscal years. The general fund covers day-to-day operations (police, fire, EMS, Brown Library, recreation, planning and information technology) in the city. Projects include vehicle replacement, information-technology upgrades and enhancing parks and recreational facilities.
The public-works CIP projects for the next five fiscal years total $25.7 million. Those projects include $6.6 million to meet wastewater-treatment needs. Other projects include stormwater system and drainage system improvements.
The electric-fund CIP projects through fiscal year 2021-2022 total $19.6 million.
Project costs include $1.8 million for an upgrade at the main substation, $1.2 million for replacing or overhauling peak-shaving generators used to help lower the city’s power costs and $2 million to rebuild the Slatestone substation. Combined, those three funds have projects in the CIP totaling $55.3 million.
The City Council could modify the CIP after its review Monday.