City outlines $18.3M streets program and $26M wastewater digester as part of FY2027 planning

City staff detailed the municipality's major capital priorities as part of the FY2027 workshop. Unidentified Presenter (Speaker 3) said the streets program totals about $18.3 million with line items including $3.7 million for high-volume streets, roughly $4 million for neighborhood streets, about $6 million for other projects including 3rd Street resurfacing, and $2.5 million for bridges.

On sewer and wastewater, Speaker 3 reviewed inflow-and-infiltration (I&I) mitigation that included approximately $5.3 million invested in I&I in 2025, 156 sewer laterals repaired in calendar 2025, and an ongoing metering project to locate I&I sources. Staff described a digester project at the water pollution control plant that is in design and estimated at about $26,000,000; staff said the project is expected to go to bid in 2026 and that the city is funding a material share of the cost in cash while neighboring jurisdictions may bond for their shares.

Rail-related transportation projects tied to the Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) merger include quiet-zone work (pending final FRA approvals and expected to go to bid soon) and the South Concord grade separation, which would create an overpass to preserve emergency access to the water pollution control plant. Environmental review is in process for some elements and staff said construction could begin as early as 2027 if approvals and design remain on schedule.

Council members asked about grant-seeking and project sequencing; staff said they are actively pursuing grants to align with capital goals and will present further detail at upcoming capital meetings.