By Adam Swift
The City Council unanimously approved a $2,675,000 “pay-as-you-go†capital improvement budget for Fiscal Year 2024 on Monday night.
The capital budget uses available funds from the city’s capital improvement stabilization fund, free cash, and water and sewer department retained earnings.
Some of the capital items included in the budget are three new vehicles for the police department, replacement of outdated cameras for the police department, a new administrative vehicle for the deputy fire chief, replacement of firefighting gear and equipment, maintenance of citywide fire alarms, and vehicles for the parking and elder affairs departments.
The capital budget also includes new vehicles and equipment for the public works department, funding for municipal building maintenance, and money for Gibson Park renovations and repairs and general maintenance for the Markey Bridge. There is also money earmarked for water and sewer department vehicles, equipment, and programs.
“If these appropriations go through as requested, those funding sources will be in place and then the respective departments can begin the procurement process for these items,†said Richard Viscay, the city’s chief financial officer.
The only item that generated much discussion at Monday night’s ways and means subcommittee meeting was the $100,000 set aside for maintenance of the Markey pedestrian bridge.
Viscay said he recently found out that the city owned the Markey bridge and that it was not the property of the DCR.
An association of nearby business owners is responsible for the daily upkeep of the bridge, and pays a $30,000 assessment per year to maintenance, but Viscay said the city needed more money for the bridge’s upkeep.
“The $30,000 figure is an annual fee the association pays toward the maintenance of the bridge,†said Tom Skwierawski, the city’s chief of planning and development.
He said the association is responsible for picking up trash and snow removal, but that the city is responsible for capital maintenance.
