MILL CREEK — While some remain worried about the rocky economic climate, the City Council opted to move ahead on a $35.6 million capital facilities plan.
The council unanimously approved the plan during its meeting last week.
The plan consists of 42 projects that will address transportation, facilities, parks and surface water needs from 2011 to 2017.
Mayor Mike Todd expressed concern about paying for nearly half of the total through bond debt. “This is the first time we’re depending on bonds in a big way to pay for really big things,” Todd said.
Todd referred to a neighboring city “to the east” — alluding to Monroe — where officials there held their breath for development that didn’t happen. “I’m leery of getting too far along,” he said.
Councilman Mark Bond warned that just because a project is included, there are no guarantees funding will be available to complete it.
“It’s a blueprint of where we want to go,” Bond said.
The new list of projects includes: 23 transportation projects ($19.5 million), six facilities projects ($10.6 million), seven parks projects ($3 million) and six surface water projects ($2.5 million).
Projects that didn’t make the cut included expanding Mill Creek Sports Park, building a community center and several sidewalk projects.
“Bottom line is they’re all good projects, but we don’t have the money,” Bond said.
Councilman Bart Masterson said he was puzzled by the fretting over funding sources, since the council had discussed the issue at length earlier this year. Bonds are a tool, and no hasty decisions were made, he said.
“How did we think we’d pay for these?” he said.
The current 2009-15 capital facilities plan lists 49 projects coming in at $35.4 million. Funding sources include real estate excise taxes, grants, general fund dollars, utility and mitigation fees, and bond debt proceeds.
Bond said he didn’t want to use taxpayers’ dollars to spark development projects that would compete with local businesses.
“I don’t like the idea of taking tax monies to get something moving forward that’s not evolving on its own, and then have to have it compete with local businesses,” he said.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
