Finance committee recommends council approve $947,001.50 supplemental appropriation covering capital and planning needs

The Finance Committee voted to recommend that City Council approve Ordinance 2026-08, a supplemental appropriation totaling $947,001.50 to cover delayed capital purchases and several midyear projects.

Chair opened the meeting and said, "Comes to $947,001.50, so it's, under 1,000,000," before turning the discussion to Director Miller. Director Miller summarized the ordinance and the items included, saying it covers delayed capital items — "building department vehicle, the police taser, police portable radios and cruiser radios, a trailer for the service department, the annual streetlight conversion to LED, annual sewer lining, Ormsby water line, and then the the Virginia At Northwest Peg crossing and intersection improvement." He also noted midyear supplements that "include phase 2 of planning for first in Grandview," property taxes tied to the new parks building that are temporarily payable until the county auditor approves tax-exempt status, and a Pierce building water-line upsizing to improve flow.

The committee discussed the Erlin Tennis Court project, which Miller said came in over the designer's estimate; the staff proposed delaying that project and re-evaluating it as part of the parks master-planning process. One member noted the project's estimated high-end cost from a few years ago was about $350,000 and "it really doubled since then," and Miller attributed the increase to a combination of site-specific soil remediation, additional electrical work and high fencing costs.

On the parks building tax issue, Miller said reimbursement timing depends on the county auditor approving tax-exempt status and that refunds can take one to two years; he estimated the tax bill could be much larger later because the parks project is roughly a $30,000,000 project. On the Virginia Northwest Boulevard project, Miller said the work is funded from the highway fund (which receives a share of gas and motor vehicle license taxes) and noted the project used temporary bollards during testing prior to final concrete work.

Chair moved to recommend approval of Ordinance 2026-08 to the council and a committee member seconded; the chair called the question, recorded an "Aye," and adjourned the meeting.

The committee's recommendation will be sent to City Council for final action; no council vote outcome was recorded in this meeting.