Public Works Director John Roshan and Senior Engineer Nicole Campbell told the Budget & Finance Committee that the streets and fleet budgets for 2026 are largely driven by labor and operating costs, including a projected increase in health insurance and higher fuel and parts costs for snow removal and street sweeping.

Staff said streets department revenue is limited to reimbursements (for damage, street‑light repairs and similar items), so most costs are borne by the general fund. Roshan said wages are primarily unionized and the insurance projection for 2026 reflects recent premium increases; Nicole said the department is keeping projections conservative to cover storm‑related and winter‑season spikes.

The department intends to buy a vacuum‑style sweeper to handle narrow permeable “green alleys” that larger, conventional sweepers cannot access. Roshan said the new machine will allow the department to complete those alleys in a day rather than a week or more and can also be used on regular street sweeping routes.

Fleet operations benefited from hiring a certified mechanic several months ago, staff said. That hire reduces reliance on expensive outside vendors and should lower outsourcing costs over time, though on‑hand supply needs have increased because more repairs are expected to be done in house.

Staff also noted that hardware‑maintenance GL accounts commonly include non‑IT equipment such as UPS systems and building generators. Jim Franks (IT department staff) said that a newly installed generator for the dispatch center is sized larger than the legacy unit and should reduce future repair costs tied to the 20‑year‑old generator at the police station.

Committee members asked about bike lanes and design capacity; staff said creating dedicated bike lanes often requires widening roads, removing parkways and trees, and complying with state and federal funding standards (MFT, FHWA, IDOT) when those funds are used. The department said shared‑use routes and signage are in place where full‑width bike lanes are impractical.

No formal actions were taken at the meeting; staff said budget drafts with the department’s proposed figures will appear in the December packet for committee review.