LEWISTON — Councilors are scheduled to vote on a $115 million wish list of capital projects, equipment purchases and spending through 2016 at their Feb. 15 meeting.
During a workshop meeting Tuesday, councilors got their first look at the city’s Capital Improvement Program for the 2011-12 fiscal year and the next five years.
The plan lists programs and priorities for the city and spells out how the city can pay for them.
“It is a planning document for us going forward,” City Administrator Ed Barrett said Tuesday. “We’re going to have to spend some time looking at the specifics of this as we go through the budget process because there are a lot of interactions between the two.”
The city’s Planning Board reviewed the plan at its last meeting and recommended approval. The Finance Committee is scheduled to review it Monday, and councilors have scheduled a public hearing and vote on the plan at the Feb. 15 meeting.
The plan includes projects paid through borrowing, paid with money from the general fund, storm-water fees and from state and federal grants.
Of the $115 million, Barrett said $53.5 million comes directly from the city — through property taxes, debt or fees. About $12.6 million is proposed to be spent from city sources in the 2011-12 fiscal year and about $9.6 million of that comes from borrowing.
Barrett said the city is well within bounds set by the City Charter, ordinances, state law and credit rating agencies when it comes to debt.
“But it is pretty significant,” Barret said. “Next year, we are looking at roughly $9.25 million in debt-service payments, and that represents 20 percent of our annual budget. It’s a fixed cost, and it has to be paid first, so it can really be restrictive of what we’re doing.”
Spending on projects for the 2011-12 fiscal year include $810,000 for road repaving, $1.1 million for road maintenance, work on city buildings, Kennedy Park, work at the city’s landfill and economic development projects.
A digital copy of the plan is available on the city’s website: ci.lewiston.me.us.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Comments are no longer available on this story