City Manager Alison Ortowski and Chief Financial Officer Sharen Jackson presented the FY 2026-30 capital improvement program framework during the Southlake City Council meeting held Jan. 6.
FY 2025-26 started Oct. 1 and runs through Sept. 30, according to the city website.
The details
Ortowksi said the total cost of the project list for the next five fiscal years is $254.7 million. The FY 2025-26 project list total is estimated to be $36.7 million, according to the presentation. Ortowksi said city staff will continue to work on the CIP plan and projects will be discussed in a Feb. 3 work session before the council meeting. Afterward, council members can adopt the CIP plan at the Feb. 17 meeting.
What you need to know
Projects are considered by internal department meetings, asset conditions, service level expectations, regulatory requirements or strategic outcomes, Ortowski said. The CIP is a balance between new projects and maintenance on existing assets.
“Capital decisions do not stop at the construction cost, as we're all very aware,” Jackson said. “We evaluate operating and maintenance impacts, including staffing, utilities and the life cycle cost to truly understand the full cost of the project.”
Jackson said the city will use cash funding whenever possible, coupled with strategic use of debt. She said $6 million in debt will be paid off by this fiscal year and creates capacity for future debt issuance.
According to the presentation, the FY 2025-26 cash funding will total $17.1 million.
The framework
Ortowski provided an overview of projected funding needed in the upcoming fiscal year and the estimated costs for each fund over the five-year window. That list includes mobility investments, water and wastewater investments, stormwater investments, and parks and community facilities investments.
Projects mentioned during the presentation included street maintenance; widening Brumlow Avenue; drainage improvements on Morgan Road and North Peytonville Avenue; repainting two elevated water tanks; sanitary sewer erosion protection; land acquisition, such as the Old Dragon Stadium; and North Park turf conversion.
