Fountain Hills officials detail road repairs, drainage wins and lake liner savings

Paul Solinger, the town’s chief financial officer, said Fountain Hills’ revenues came in above projections and allowed the council to authorize added savings for a future lake liner replacement. “We’ve already saved more than 6 and a half million dollars for the eventual replacement,” Solinger said while describing conservative fiscal practices that support the town’s capital program.

Solinger told the audience the council approved more than $10,000,000 in road repairs for the current budget year and set aside another $1,000,000 toward the future lake liner replacement. He also reported more than $2,000,000 in investment income that helped support services without raising taxes.

Justin Weldy, Public Works Director, said the department completed 9.3 miles of paving and constructed nearly one mile of new sidewalks using grant funds. He described water‑conservation projects including a turf elimination at Shea and Fountain Hills Boulevard that will “save approximately 2,400,000 gallons of water annually,” and noted completion of 60 acres of wash maintenance.

Mayor Jerry Bridal described drainage improvements at Golden Eagle Park as a major project that addressed chronic stormwater issues dating to 2018, and said those improvements performed better than designed during a significant rainfall shortly after completion. The mayor also previewed reconstruction of Palomino Boulevard and plans to widen eastbound Shea Boulevard; he said the Maricopa Association of Governments will provide the bulk of funding for the Shea project, reducing the town’s direct cost.

Taken together, the finance and public works remarks outline the town’s near‑term capital workload — road resurfacing, drainage resilience and long‑term planning to replace the Fountain Park lake liner.