Manassas Park council debates FY27 capital priorities and staff pay as budget decisions near

City manager presented a draft five‑year capital improvement program and a proposed approach to prioritizing projects as mandatory, high priority or other. The manager said the presentation is work‑in‑progress and that project pages with procurement links and percent‑complete indicators will be published for council review.

The manager framed the CIP as a tool to plan long‑term maintenance and replacements and outlined a force‑ranking process used with department heads. He recommended building a replacement/reserve fund so the city can save for larger projects and avoid urgent borrowing. “We have to be able to save money for the long term,” he said, describing the goal of leveling capital spending across years.

Council asked for a recommended, prioritized funding list for FY27 rather than the full $13.3 million project stack. One member asked which projects are truly mandatory; the manager said about $4.7 million are obligations the city “is paying that no matter what.” Members debated repurposing some CIP dollars to address staff compensation and benefits. The manager said a class‑and‑comp study is underway and recommended a 3% cost‑of‑living adjustment if the study is not completed before budget adoption, with a potential mid‑year adjustment after the study.

Transportation projects were discussed separately: many leverage state or federal grants, reducing the general‑fund hit. Council questioned specific items such as a roundabout study and parking lot phases tied to developer obligations; the manager said staff will provide links and supporting materials for each project so council can re‑rank priorities before May.

Next steps and schedule: council members were asked to email suggested CIP changes by the following week; staff will collate responses, finalize revenue assumptions and publish final numbers by May 5 for the public hearings and rate‑setting process. The manager also scheduled a budget workshop the week of April 28 to review revenues and priorities.

What remains open: the exact FY27 funding commitment and any reallocation between capital and ongoing compensation costs. Council requested clearer line‑item costings for mandatory projects, the total fiscal impact of proposed COLA/benefit changes, and updated enterprise‑fund self‑sustainability figures ahead of the May 5 vote.