County Manager York presented the proposed Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) for fiscal years 2026-2030 and the capital budget for 2025-2026. She explained that the CIP was the five-year planning and implementation tool used for acquiring, developing, constructing, maintaining, and renovating public facilities, infrastructure, and equipment. She said the plan included the needs of the court system, the school system, the community college, and county government. County Manager York emphasized the county was statutorily responsible for funding the facilities and equipment for all of those entities. She noted there was a multi-year plan and the capital budget, which required a vote by the Board to fund the plan one year at a time.
She continued that the capital project had a minimum cost of $50,000 and a useful lifespan of approximately 10 years or more. County Manager York reviewed changes from the prior CIPs.
- Budget Capital Projects out of multi-year project funds rather than General Fund
- General fund revenue will be transferred to multi-year funds
- Does not include funding for regular repairs & maintenance for ABSS, ACC, and AC, sometimes referred to as PAYGO projects or capital outlay
- These are included in the Recommended Operating Budget you will receive on May 19th
- CIP includes funding for vehicles and equipment previously budgeted in the Operating Budget
County Manager York expounded on why these changes were necessary. She said that historically, only bond and debt-funded projects were in the multi-year capital funds. She stressed that there are more capital needs than ever before, and they were working to build a cost-efficient, sustainable plan to decrease some of the emergency repairs that suddenly occurred, which could be more costly. She noted that separating the needs provided greater transparency and visibility. County Manager York mentioned this would delineate statutorily required capital spending versus including it in operating or current expense funds. She reminded the Board that more proactive budgeting and data-driven decision-making had been some of the priorities discussed at the Board Retreat. She said the recommended CIP focused on maintaining facilities at the current level, rather than expanding. County Manager York said only one new facility was recommended in the 2026-30 CIP; the new Mebane EMS base.
County Manager York highlighted a few expenditure drivers and projects:
ABSS FY25-26 Capital Budget: $11.4 million
- Roof Replacements: $5.1 million
- HVAC Replacements: $4.8 million
- Technology Equipment: $1.4 million
Phase I (FY24-25) – Issued Bonds for $19 million
- ABSS Facility Roof and HVAC Replacements
Phase II (Years 2-10) – General Fund Transfer: $10 million/year beginning FY25-26
- Future Facility Structural Needs Plan
ACC FY25-26 Capital Budget: $0
- ACC will continue to work on completing previously funded bond projects including the Public Safety Training Center construction
- ACC requests no additional funding for capital improvement projects in FY25-26 while the college completes a Facilities Condition Assessment
- ACC anticipates submitting a 5-Year capital improvement plan in FY26-27 based on the assessment
AC FY25-26 Capital Budget: $19.0 million
- Facilities Improvements*: $13.6 million
- Landfill Projects: $11.6 million (enterprise fund)
- Technology: $878 thousand
- Equipment and Vehicles*: $4.5 million
- Landfill Projects: $2.0 million (enterprise fund)
Potential Future Impacts
- Recommended projects for FY25-26 are sustainable without impacting the property tax rate
- Mebane EMS Base will require additional EMTs/Paramedics in FY26-27, along with operating costs, but will not need additional ambulances
- Estimated annual operating impact: $1.5 million
Recommended Capital Budget Changes from Prior Year
Project Costs:
ABSS FY24-25 $20,915,389 FY25-26 $11,400,000
ACC FY24-25 $ - FY25-26 $ -
ACG FY24-25 $46,230,896 FY25-26 $18,974,863
County Manager York concluded this was a lot of information for the Board to digest all at once and suggested the Board hold a special CIP work session meeting on April 28, 2025, at 9:30 AM. The Board agreed to hold a special CIP work session meeting on Monday, April 28, 2025, at 9:30 AM.