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OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

Budget Committee Meeting: Overview of Public Works Five-Year Capital Plan - October 22, 2026

City Council — Thursday, October 22, 2026

BodySt Paul, Minnesota

SessionCity Council

DateThursday, October 22, 2026

StatusFILED

Video Record

0:00 / 36:33

Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

Speaker numbers apply only to this recording.

Unassigned speaker

0:02

So

Speaker 1

0:03

order roll call, please.

Unassigned speaker

0:05

Um

Speaker 2

0:05

council member Bui here.

0:07

Council President Nika here.

0:10

Council member Jost here.

0:12

Councilmember Coleman.

0:15

Councilmember Kim?

Speaker 1

0:17

Here.

Speaker 2

0:18

Council member.

0:19

Council Vice President Yang.

0:22

Council member budget chair Johnson.

0:27

Five present two absent being uh council vice president and uh council member goldman and then excuse.

0:34

Thank you.

Speaker 1

0:35

Yes, one is fighting the good fight of TAV, and the other one is fighting the good fight as a new mom again.

0:41

So um hello, welcome.

0:44

We're gonna talk a little bit about the five-year capital plan.

0:46

Uh appreciate the Department of Public Works for being here.

0:49

Um you guys are back like we never left from our last meeting.

0:52

So I appreciate your time um in talking about this.

0:55

Welcome.

Speaker 3

0:56

Thank you for having me.

0:58

Uh good afternoon.

0:59

Uh Nick Peterson City Engineer uh Public Works Department here to present our five-year capital plan for the years 2027 through 2031.

1:08

Um, this is what I would consider to be a draft presentation, so it'll it'll come back again.

1:13

Um, but want to make sure we have this valuable time together to uh to get ahead of any concerns that you may

Unassigned speaker

1:19

have.

Speaker 3

1:20

So um moving on to our next slide here.

1:23

So uh what we're gonna talk about, we'll talk about the draft plan, we'll do some comparison to what was done here this year via the the previous five year plan.

1:32

Um, talk about funding sources as as we always do, and then uh talk about the the next batch of projects, and of course, next steps and and questions.

1:42

So our five-year plan looks like this.

1:45

Then when it comes out of public works, uh this is the tabular format, um, two pages.

1:50

We try to make it as succinct as possible.

1:52

Um at the end, I'm gonna come back to this, but this is what it looks like.

1:56

So we've got funding sources for our rows, we've got years for uh you know programmed expenditures, and uh then we have a more enjoyable version of this, which is a map.

2:08

So uh we also have a a uh cartographic representation here, and what is up on the screen is actually the most recent five-year plan.

2:17

And this is here to just show what the changes are because I know there are always questions about hey, uh what is the difference in the proposed five-year plan versus what's here.

2:29

So this is largely here for you to have to be able to see those things uh in a representative fashion to be able to kind of toggle back and forth.

2:36

So I don't intend to spend a whole lot of time here, but it is kind of self-explanatory that the some of the colors kind of come and go

Unassigned speaker

2:42

and

Speaker 3

2:42

uh that sort of thing.

2:45

So what our proposed five-year plan looks like here, the the proposed draft five-year plan for 27 to 31 is this map right here.

2:54

And really what I want to get into is the you know, nuts and bolts of uh what's in here, which means we we kind of go back to the start, which is funding sources.

3:05

And so the first row in our five-year plan includes um what was historically called the RSPP program, it's bond funded.

3:13

This funds are residential reconstruction and also some residential mill and overlay

Unassigned speaker

3:18

work.

Speaker 3

3:18

The next most significant funding source is municipal state aid, which is colloquially known as the gas tax, and that funds generally our trial roads, it requires state aid standards on roads that are designated for state aid.

3:33

Then, of course, common sense, another big chunk of funding there that's three quarters of one percent, and that's for use on designated common sense corridors.

Unassigned speaker

3:46

Uh

Speaker 3

3:46

rounding out the rest of the city sources.

3:48

We have general funds that are historically you know, smaller expenses uh on you know, alley improvements, sidewalk improvements, and uh mill and overlay work.

3:59

Um they go towards our serial mill and overlay right

Unassigned speaker

4:04

now.

Speaker 3

4:05

Then there are CIB funds or capital improvement bonds, um, you know, kind of run through their own process.

4:12

That's on the next uh top of the next sheet, and funds tends to fund smaller projects, and and I'll illustrate some of the exam, some of the examples of things that we spent those funds on in the last year, and then of course, assessments for larger reconstruction and a little other projects.

4:29

Our external sources, um, although they they may be three very distinct sources, they tend to follow the same the same competitive solicitation aspect, um, and they tend to have very specific uses that are required of them, whether that's the county, the state, or or federal funds, uh, with the difference in federal funds being that there can be earmarks or there can be a more competitive process that goes with that.

4:52

So we're always thankful when we get congressionally directed spending

Unassigned speaker

4:55

and look

Speaker 3

4:57

forward to more of

Unassigned speaker

4:58

that.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Public Works█████████████████████████████████████████████56%

Procedural██████████12%

Transportation Safety██████████12%

Infrastructure██████8%

Community Engagement█████6%

Legislative Advocacy█████6%

Summary of Proceedings

Budget Committee Meeting: Overview of Public Works Five-Year Capital Plan - October 22, 2026

Note: The agenda and transcript indicate the meeting occurred on October 21, 2026, but the provided date for this summary is October 22, 2026.

This meeting of the Saint Paul Budget Committee, chaired by Councilmember Cheniqua Johnson, was held to review the Public Works Department's draft Five-Year Capital Plan for fiscal years 2027–2031. Nick Peterson, City Engineer, presented the plan, highlighting funding sources, current and upcoming projects, and next steps. Councilmembers discussed project prioritization, coordination with utilities, state and federal funding advocacy, and specific projects such as the West Seventh Street corridor.

Discussion Items

Presentation of Draft Five-Year Capital Plan (2027–2031): Nick Peterson presented the plan, which includes funding from sources such as Residential Street Pavement Program (RSPP) bonds, Municipal State Aid (gas tax), Common Sense sales tax, General Fund, Capital Improvement Bonds (CIB), assessments, and external federal/state/county funds. He reviewed currently delivered or under-construction projects: University and Earl (Common Sense-funded), Pelham (final link of the Grand Round), Lac Rado (Como Lake area reconstruction), Grand Snelling intersection (with MnDOT), Kellogg Capital City Bikeway (CCB), and the Kellogg Third Street Bridge (nearing completion with a ribbon-cutting ceremony scheduled for October 24). Targeted projects included Payne Avenue pedestrian improvements, Chelsea Heights safe routes to schools, Jefferson Avenue bump-outs, Thomas and Griggs safety improvements, Skyline Tower crossing, Lafayette Trail gap closure, citywide sidewalk work, mill and overlay in St. Anthony, Ivy Birmingham, Selby Avenue (with Metro Transit), and three alley improvements.
Planned Projects for 2027: Hoyt Birmingham Phase 1 residential reconstruction, next phase of CCB from Grand Casino Arena to Summit area, Como Avenue rehab study, federally funded reconstruction of Minnehaha and Wabasha/St. Peter, Common Sense projects on Arlington/Jackson/DePain (adding sidewalk), Earl Street reconstruction, mill and overlay on Vandalia commercial area, and Arlington/Ruth residential mill and overlay. State/county projects include Robert Street (Fillmore to Annapolis) and Ramsey County improvements on Jackson, Larpenter, and Rice (with city partnership on Rice Street).
Councilmember Questions and Discussion:
- Councilmember Johnson asked about project timing and coordination across departments and utilities. Peterson explained prioritization based on cumulative impacts, funding eligibility windows, competitive federal processes, and interagency coordination with water, sewer, and private utilities.
- Council President Noecker asked for a summary of changes from the previous five-year plan and details on Municipal State Aid (MSA) funding, particularly the $1.5 million for lighting, traffic signals, and railroad crossings. Peterson noted that MSA funds must be used on state-aid routes for capitalizable construction expenses and that balances can accumulate. He agreed to provide account balances and plans. Noecker also noted the addition of West Seventh Street planning for 2030, a major corridor with an estimated $100 million+ cost.
- Councilmember Bowie inquired about state-level advocacy for infrastructure funding, asking how Public Works engages with the legislature. Peterson mentioned annual bonding requests (e.g., $25 million for Rice Street from Speaker Hortman). Director Barber added that a working session with the new intergovernmental relations lead is exploring new approaches, such as addressing copper wire theft and streetlight funding.
- Councilmember Jost emphasized the importance of state and federal partnerships, noting the capital investments committee changes and the need for continued advocacy. She mentioned the American Society of Civil Engineers infrastructure report card (C grade) and offered council support for Public Works' state and federal lobbying.
Coordination and Future Steps: Peterson noted that federal solicitation has been delayed about seven months due to regional evaluation criteria concerns. The next step is to present the plan to the full City Council in December 2026. He offered to meet with council offices for questions.

Key Outcomes

No formal votes were taken; the presentation was informational and for discussion.
Public Works will provide a summary of changes from the previous five-year plan, MSA account balances, and plans for those funds.
The committee will continue to coordinate with partners on dollar adjustments and timing.
The draft Five-Year Capital Plan is scheduled for City Council action in December 2026.
Councilmembers expressed support for ongoing advocacy for state and federal infrastructure funding.

Meeting Transcript

So order roll call, please. Um council member Bui here. Council President Nika here. Council member Jost here. Councilmember Coleman. Councilmember Kim? Here. Council member. Council Vice President Yang. Council member budget chair Johnson. Five present two absent being uh council vice president and uh council member goldman and then excuse. Thank you. Yes, one is fighting the good fight of TAV, and the other one is fighting the good fight as a new mom again. So um hello, welcome. We're gonna talk a little bit about the five-year capital plan. Uh appreciate the Department of Public Works for being here. Um you guys are back like we never left from our last meeting. So I appreciate your time um in talking about this. Welcome. Thank you for having me. Uh good afternoon. Uh Nick Peterson City Engineer uh Public Works Department here to present our five-year capital plan for the years 2027 through 2031. Um, this is what I would consider to be a draft presentation, so it'll it'll come back again. Um, but want to make sure we have this valuable time together to uh to get ahead of any concerns that you may have. So um moving on to our next slide here. So uh what we're gonna talk about, we'll talk about the draft plan, we'll do some comparison to what was done here this year via the the previous five year plan. Um, talk about funding sources as as we always do, and then uh talk about the the next batch of projects, and of course, next steps and and questions. So our five-year plan looks like this. Then when it comes out of public works, uh this is the tabular format, um, two pages. We try to make it as succinct as possible. Um at the end, I'm gonna come back to this, but this is what it looks like. So we've got funding sources for our rows, we've got years for uh you know programmed expenditures, and uh then we have a more enjoyable version of this, which is a map. So uh we also have a a uh cartographic representation here, and what is up on the screen is actually the most recent five-year plan. And this is here to just show what the changes are because I know there are always questions about hey, uh what is the difference in the proposed five-year plan versus what's here. So this is largely here for you to have to be able to see those things uh in a representative fashion to be able to kind of toggle back and forth. So I don't intend to spend a whole lot of time here, but it is kind of self-explanatory that the some of the colors kind of come and go and uh that sort of thing. So what our proposed five-year plan looks like here, the the proposed draft five-year plan for 27 to 31 is this map right here. And really what I want to get into is the you know, nuts and bolts of uh what's in here, which means we we kind of go back to the start, which is funding sources. And so the first row in our five-year plan includes um what was historically called the RSPP program, it's bond funded. This funds are residential reconstruction and also some residential mill and overlay work. The next most significant funding source is municipal state aid, which is colloquially known as the gas tax, and that funds generally our trial roads, it requires state aid standards on roads that are designated for state aid. Then, of course, common sense, another big chunk of funding there that's three quarters of one percent, and that's for use on designated common sense corridors. Uh rounding out the rest of the city sources.

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