Boerne City Council is clearly mapping out its spending for the future. At their July 9 meeting, city officials received an update on the Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) for fiscal year 2025, discussing key infrastructure projects and considering additional proposed funding, as reported by My Boerne News. The CIP outlines the city's long-term plan for handling big-ticket items, and the council is poised to approve the CIP budget for the year starting October 1 and ending September 30, 2025.
Assistant City Manager Danny Zincke made it clear that the plan is centered around maintaining high-quality infrastructure and sees to further master plan recommendations. Despite recommending a hike of $2.1 million in CIP project funding for 2025, Boerne is grappling to even further secure the cash from various financing buckets, ranging from bonds and grants to developer fees. Inflation's persistent rise only adds to complexities, prompting the council to weigh every dollar against economic realities and staff capacities.
Major projects on the list include the Adler Road Culverts and the Northside Community Park, with significant funding coming from the American Rescue Plan Act and bond programs approved by voters. Kristy Stark, another Assistant City Manager, provided a breakdown showing $32,285,000 in available CIP funds, while introducing plans to add $2,100,000 more in 2025. She indicated that these figures are in draft form and are likely to evolve before finalization.
However, not everything is going ahead as planned. Due to alarming cost overruns, staff have suggested to put a halt to funding for two mobility undertakings: the Menger Creek Bridge and Cascade Caverns Road projects. The latter's budget has catastrophically inflated from an estimated $9.4 million in 2021 to now a staggering $43 million. This financial shockwave is part of a broader issue that reflects on the current economic climate impacting construction work nationally, Stark articulated in her presentation to council.
Looking ahead, the City of Boerne has a defined budget development calendar that includes public hearings on budget and tax rates scheduled for late August and early September. Boerne residents and stakeholders are keen to watch how their tax dollars are allocated amidst these challenging economic times.
