Inflation skyrockets Spokane’s capital program from $773M to $1.18B over 5 years
(The Center Square) – The Spokane City Council got a sneak peek Thursday at the upcoming six-year capital improvement program, which includes approximately 470 projects totaling $1.18 billion.
While the capital improvement program, or CIP, covers 2025 through 2030, Spokane updates it annually, meaning last year, the city council approved the 2024-2029 CIP. The program is part of a larger process informed by the 20-year capital facilities plan within the city’s comprehensive plan.
Jessica Stratton, director of the Management and Budget Department, ran the council through a quick presentation on Thursday regarding the CIP. The elected officials will hear a first reading of the proposed CIP ordinance during their legislative session on Monday.
The proposed ordinance is only a little more than a page long, but the entire CIP draft is 634.
“It’s adopted as part of the budget process where the first two years of the CIP is, in fact, incorporated into the biennial budget,” Stratton said, “so, it’s our implementation tool.”
The entire 2025-2030 CIP entails over $1.18 billion in funding, which is about 3% less than approved in last year’s program. Around $341 million, or 28% of the total, covers the upcoming 2026-2027 biennium, with about 91% of that funding already identified and committed.
The $1.18 billion total is only 60% funded, meaning the city still needs to identify grants or other funding sources for many of the projects after the coming biennium. Roughly 79% of the CIP falls under the purview of the Public Works Division, which is responsible for managing city infrastructure.
“There are 58 employees who have direct access to the capital budget that get to manipulate it,” Stratton said. “So, once you factor in their leadership and perhaps vendors that they’re reaching out to for quotes, I mean, the number is likely over 100 people that are involved with this.”
While Public Works covers most of the projects, they also fall under individual departments, some of which are under its oversight. Those included are the Spokane Police Department, Fire Department, Fleet, Parking, Parks & Recreation, Street Department, Water, Wastewater Management, Solid Waste Management, Information Technology and Facilities Management.
The biggest chunks of change would go to the Street Department, Water and Wastewater Management, which falls under the Public Works Division. Stratton said the amount of projects has stayed relatively the same over the past few years, but despite that, costs skyrocketed.
The $1.18 billion proposed for the 2025-2030 CIP is roughly 53% more than the $773.8 million approved for the 2020-2025 CIP.
“We can see the direct impact of the inflationary pressures on the capital budget,” Stratton said. “In five years, you’ll see the costs of the program has [nearly] doubled.”
While the city has yet to identify 40% of the funding across the six years, Stratton said that only covers 30% of the projects. However, 36% of those unfunded projects rely on support from the general fund, which is grappling with a significant budget deficit heading into next year.
“As you can imagine, it’s very difficult to ascertain the level of funding six years away from now,” Stratton said.
The Spokane City Council will hear a first reading of the proposed 2025-2030 CIP ordinance on Oct. 28 before voting over its approval a week later on Nov. 4.
