Committee hears $97.6M 2026 capital improvement plan; council presses on CPP, fire stations, brick streets and resurfacing

City officials presented the proposed 2026 Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) and answered extensive committee questions about priorities, funding mechanics and specific projects.

Director Barrett told the committee the proposed CIP request totals about $97.65 million, with roughly $45.5 million earmarked for roads and bridges, $38.1 million for public facilities and $13.3 million for parks and recreation; cemetery work is a smaller line item. Barrett said some projects are rollover items from prior years (work approved late in 2025) and that the administration is changing its financing approach this year: staff intend to use available carryover cash (approximately $89–90 million) to execute urgent contracts early and then reimburse those uses with bond proceeds later in the year after contracts are executed and a bond snapshot is taken (anticipated in October).

Council members asked for details and expressed several consistent concerns. Multiple members urged a stronger capital program for Cleveland Public Power (CPP), calling for a clear plan and dedicated investment; staff explained CPP is an enterprise fund that generally handles its own capital but said the general fund can invest in enterprise operations and that the mechanics would require further discussion. Members also pressed on the fire station modernization plan, citing cramped conditions and indoor air-quality issues at specific stations (including Station 23); staff agreed to a technical site visit and air-quality assessment before recommending a long-term financing or replacement approach.

Procurement and equipment costs drew scrutiny: council members questioned line-item prices for vehicles and equipment; staff said higher totals reflect upfitting, technology packages and specialized implements, and they pledged to pursue efficiencies (including quicker invoice processing to reduce contractor carrying costs).

On resurfacing and brick streets, staff described a mixed approach: a $12 million residential resurfacing line, options for division-of-streets in-house work versus contractor work, and a brick-street program that included several named streets in the ordinance. Council members were told additional brick-street work can proceed via requirements contracts or by council discretionary funding if members wish to add streets outside this year's bid package.

Directors said the spike in roads-and-bridges funding reflects the need to program local matches for federally or state-funded projects and to process a backlog of projects carried from earlier bond authorizations. Finance staff said the revised approach is intended to avoid paying interest on bond proceeds unnecessarily and should not harm the city’s credit rating; they said it is consistent with practices used by other municipalities.

Staff committed to follow-up on several items: a written breakdown of projects and contracts for the October bond snapshot, confirmation of which projects will be bonded when, a site assessment and air-quality testing at flagged fire stations, documentation of asset-condition assessments upon request, and more precise cost estimates for items raised during the hearing.

The presentation and Q&A laid out areas where council and administration will negotiate project selection, timing and potential reallocation as CIP legislation moves through committee and to council for final action later in the year.