More capital spending on council's agenda

FINDLAY — Findlay City Council is expected to vote Tuesday on legislation that will move forward about $285,000 in capital improvement projects already on the books. Council will meet in regular session at 6 p.m. Tuesday at the Findlay Municipal Building, 318 Dorney Plaza. All council meetings are open to the public and are livestreamed on the city's YouTube channel: Findlay Ohio. The legislation, which will be up for its third reading on Tuesday, would appropriate the bulk of the funds to replace lights in the municipal building. A total of $215,000 would be appropriated from the city's capital improvement fund for the project's second phase. In October, council agreed to replace all existing lighting in offices or work spaces with new LED fixtures. Another $50,000 would be appropriated from the water fund to replace a carbon dioxide tank at Findlay's Water Treatment Plant. A total of $20,000 would be appropriated from multiple funds for improvements to the city's geographic information system, or GIS. City officials are compiling the capital spending plan for this year now, with discussion expected in the weeks ahead. Council has agreed to dedicate 20% of the city's expected revenue this year to capital spending. That makes a total of about $5.3 million available this year to be invested in projects and equipment from the capital fund, plus the fund's balance of $3.8 million coming into the year and $4.6 million in the city's flood mitigation account. The number doesn't include grant money or other sources of revenue. In 2024, the city's $30.4 million capital budget relied heavily on grant funding. Grants were expected to cover about $11 million of the capital expenses last year. In 2023, grant funding accounted for about $10.5 million of the city's $34.2 million capital plan. About $9.2 million was budgeted from the city's capital improvement funds in 2024, with the balance of the improvements paid from restricted accounts for city utilities, including water, sewer and stormwater funds. The capital budget includes projects and equipment that are in the planning, design, construction, or purchase phase. The city's 10-year, long-range capital improvement plan is available on its website at www.findlayohio.gov.