Council Approves Capital Improvement Plan

The Common Council approved a $170.6 million Capital Improvement Plan Tuesday, following a collaborative effort with Mayor Yvonne Flowers' administration to identify key spending priorities from this year until 2028.

In another demonstration of cohesion between the Common Council and the administration, this year's capital plan and priorities were evaluated by the Common Council Finance Committee and the Administration while pursuing an aggressive schedule to ensure the plan was passed by resolution prior to the City's administrative deadline of August 31.

The plan identifies capital projects that are fully funded and others that are not and serves as a roadmap for the city as it prioritizes substantial undertakings such as bridges, public buildings, parks, large or costly equipment, or land acquisition. The state Comptroller's office defines capitalization projects as having a useful life of at least five years and exceeding a $10,000 cost.

Funding the debt service for capital projects occurs during the city's annual budget process after the capital plan is submitted.

"I thank the Finance Department Commissioner Dr. Brian Martinez for preparing this comprehensive document that gives both city officials and the public critically important information about the city's assets and how best to protect and improve them in the years ahead as more funding becomes available," said Mayor Flowers. "It's essential we pay close attention to these needs to continue to modernize our infrastructure and equipment and avoid having large maintenance and modernization backlogs."

"The willingness of the administration and Common Council to work together bolds well for the City of Poughkeepsie, and passage of the capital plan is another prime example," said Council Member At Large Da'Ron Wilson. "I thank Mayor Flowers for her leadership and look forward to working with the administration and my Common Council colleagues as we move into the implementation phase of the capital plan and begin making improvements that will benefit the entire city."

The city's capital plan identifies 64 projects, and part or all of 13 of those projects are funded at a nearly $30 million total.

Having a cohesive and comprehensive capital plan in place can assist the city in obtaining federal and state grants and aid to expand the funded list of projects, the mayor said.

The city is pursuing more funding for water and sewer projects that would assist with redevelopment and environmental concerns, such as elimination of combined sewer overflows and lead pipes, modernization and redevelopment at the city's transfer station, water production and water pollution control plants, firehouse renovations, heavy equipment purchases, pedestrian and traffic flow improvement to sidewalks and streets and investments in other infrastructure.

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