Council asks staff to model co‑location and extended sequencing for 2023 bond projects including South Branch Library

Seth Garcia, director of capital projects, reviewed the status of projects funded by the 2023 bond program and the remaining unissued balances for park, library, drainage, streets and public‑safety projects. He highlighted that voter‑approved propositions A–G had passed in 2023 and that the program’s remaining issuance and construction schedule would affect future debt service.

Council members focused most of their questions on the South Branch Library and the proposed active adult center. Garcia explained the city has acquired a 14.4‑acre parcel off Ryan Road and that the city is evaluating options including a co‑located library/active‑adult complex or a separate active‑adult center at Mac Park. He said the budgeted amounts for those two projects account for a large portion of the remaining unissued bond funds and recommended that staff prepare scenario analyses showing potential economies of scale from a co‑located facility as well as cost/parking/travel trade‑offs for alternate sites.

Matt Hamilton reiterated the debt‑service implications: the 2023 bond program represents about 0.029 of the current I&S rate and that issuing the remaining bonds this year would increase debt pressure in the short term; spreading issuance or refunding some older debt could reduce near‑term impacts. Several council members asked staff to quantify savings against risks (construction‑cost escalation if delayed) and to bring firm financial scenarios to a follow‑up discussion.

Council direction: staff will prepare cost and schedule scenarios comparing (a) building the South Branch Library and active adult center separately, (b) co‑locating the two on the Ryan Road site, and (c) moving the active adult center to Mac Park, plus options for extending bond issuance schedules to smooth tax‑rate impacts. Those scenario results were requested before council commits to issuing the remaining packages this fiscal year.

Why this matters: these two projects are large line items in the remaining bond program; whether they are built together or sequenced over multiple years will affect debt service and the city’s tax rate outlook.