The Municipal Services and Properties Committee on Sept. 29 approved a package of bond ordinances and amendments while the administration outlined a new capital‑funding approach that aims to borrow only for projects the city will execute in the current year.
The administration said it previously proposed a $76 million capital program but — after meetings with council and Mocap — trimmed the immediate borrowing request to $36,044,000 for projects expected to be under contract or purchased in 2025. The finance director told the committee that by deferring borrowing for projects that will not be executed this year the city avoids near‑term debt service; advisors estimated $2.2 million to $2.4 million in debt service the city will not incur next year by delaying that borrowing. Staff said the bond legislation has a modest cushion for issuance costs and that the total authorization on bond ordinances may be higher to accommodate those costs.
Committee members asked how the carryover projects will be handled. Staff said the city will present a formal capital improvement plan (CIP) in January, authorizing projects earlier in the calendar year so work can start in season rather than waiting until later in the year; the change is intended to better match borrowing with the timing of contract execution.
Council amendments added oversight provisions to the bond ordinances. Councilman Starr offered amendments requiring (1) a two‑year limit on specified terms, (2) insertion of legislative file numbers to document the approved project list, and (3) written notice to the clerk of council when cooperative purchasing is used; those amendments were presented to the committee, the administration indicated they were feasible, and the committee approved them. The committee also instructed law and finance staff to ensure amendment language aligns with bond counsel drafting.
The committee read and approved several ordinances as amended, including the general public‑facilities bond ordinance (Ordinance 8-46-2025), the parks/recreation bond ordinance (Ordinance 8-47-2025), the roads/bridges bond ordinance (Ordinance 8-48-2025), and others tied to specific bond types. The session included detailed line‑item discussion about the 2025 project list: recreation projects totaling $6,280,000 (including Lonnie Burton Recreation Center and fire alarm replacement at Alexander Hamilton), public‑facility projects totaling $12,739,000 (including final developer‑related payments and a new SWAT headquarters listed at $7,500,000), road and bridge projects totaling roughly $13,045,000 (including a $1,000,000 major bridge repair line and additional $8,000,000 for residential resurfacing that council previously requested), and purchases for light and heavy vehicles.
Staff also described project‑specific requests: $200,000 to continue design for Shaker Boulevard (to position the city for potential state funding), local match funding for Van Aken Boulevard work coordinated with NOACA and RTA, and that some cemetery projects will be carried into next year. The administration stressed these allocations match the spreadsheets provided to council and said projects that cannot be executed this year will roll into the 2026 CIP.
Committee members asked whether the administration can issue bonds to reimburse projects the city funded with cash earlier in the year. Finance staff said Ohio law requires a funding source to support executed contracts, and the plan is to use available cash as a backstop and later reimburse the city with bond proceeds; bond counsel and advisors will confirm legality and structure before issuance. The finance director said the new cadence should reduce long delays between funding and construction and allow staff to show more clearly when projects are actually spending against budgets.
The committee adopted multiple amendments and then approved the ordinances as amended; the record shows the committee approved Ordinance 8-46-2025, Ordinance 8-47-2025, Ordinance 8-48-2025 and related bond ordinances "as amended." Specific roll‑call tallies were not provided in the public discussion excerpts.