Louisville’s preliminary capital plan totals $143.9 million; $292.1 million remains unfunded

Louisville’s preliminary 2027-32 capital-improvement plan totals $143,883,335, while a separate inventory of unfunded projects totals $292,057,066. The City Council is scheduled to discuss the plans and proposed service changes at its Aug. 11 budget follow-up; the agenda report describes the council’s role as discussion and direction, not approval.

The records reviewed do not show an adopted capital plan, appropriation or final decision on proposed service reductions. Staff is scheduled to present the city manager’s recommended budget Sept. 1. A budget public hearing and final-budget presentation are scheduled for Oct. 20, followed by adoption of the 2027-28 operating and capital budget and 2027-32 CIP on Nov. 2.

Preliminary capital plan

The funded plan allocates $66.09 million to the Capital Projects Fund and $52.76 million to the Water Utility Fund. Other large categories include $8.79 million for wastewater, $5.79 million for stormwater and $4.37 million for recreation, according to the city’s recommended-CIP materials.

The largest individual funded item is a $34.669 million annual roadway-resurfacing program. The plan also includes waterline replacement, Windy Gap firming, raw-water integration, South County Water Treatment Plant improvements, wastewater and stormwater work, playground replacements, technology upgrades and citywide electric-vehicle charging.

Staff said initial requests exceeded $400 million across more than 200 projects. The preliminary plan prioritizes existing-asset maintenance, critical infrastructure, technology, grant leverage and potential bond financing. Staff also said it would continue refining the plan and reassessing whether existing projects should proceed based on implementation capacity.

Unfunded projects and paving choice

The Capital Projects Fund accounts for $268.07 million of the $292.06 million unfunded inventory. Major items include a $140.8 million citywide underpass project, $46.2 million for CO42 corridor enhancements, $23.25 million for City Services 2, $15.52 million for recreation-center decarbonization and $10 million for clubhouse renovation and expansion. The unfunded-project inventory identifies needs, not a construction schedule or formally rejected projects.

Staff presented a choice between keeping pavement spending at about $5 million or more annually and reducing it to roughly $3 million to direct the difference to Front & Center Phase 2. Staff said the lower level could temporarily maintain a Pavement Condition Index of about 73 or 74, but harsh winters or arterial needs could require more money. The records do not establish that the council selected the redirection, approved Phase 2 or changed the CIP.

The golf clubhouse was moved to the unfunded list in the preliminary materials. Funded Golf CIP work totals about $1.6 million through 2032, while unfunded golf projects total about $20.6 million, including a potential $20 million clubhouse replacement. Staff also projected golf operating gaps of about $60,000 in 2027 and $20,000 in 2028.

Possible service reductions

The Aug. 11 budget-update presentation lists some measures as implemented and others as recommended or still under evaluation. The RV dump’s pay-per-use system, listed as producing $20,000 in ongoing savings, and elimination of the employee golf discount were marked implemented.

The presentation also identified savings from measures discussed during the retreat, including:

• $30,000 in ongoing savings from ending commercial sustainability rebates.
• $10,000 in one-time savings from ending the 2026 Sustainable Neighborhood Network pilot.
• $70,000 in ongoing savings from shifting utility credit-card processing fees to customers while retaining free ACH payments.
• About $1,000 in ongoing savings from eliminating dog licenses.
• $18,000 in ongoing savings from ending printed utility-bill inserts.
• $10,000 in one-time savings tied to community-event sponsorships.

The sustainability reductions were marked in the retreat materials as not recommended for restoration. The utility credit-card fee shift was recommended by the City Manager’s Office, but the council-support field was not populated; the records do not establish final approval. The community-event-sponsorship entry includes an unexplained notation, leaving its final status unclear.

Other measures remained recommendations or evaluation items, including merging boards and commissions; reducing or consolidating communications channels and newsletters; reducing community engagement and special events; reviewing event costs and police special-duty cost recovery; limiting code amendments; reducing board and commission meetings and Business Beat roundtables; and eliminating Data Axle and, beginning in 2028, Mango Languages.

The materials say Open Space and Recreation are structurally balanced in the first two budget years, while Golf remains a concern. Staff modeled an Open Space acquisition set-aside of about $300,000 annually, but the records do not establish a final transfer or reserve-policy change. The materials say no capital-project adjustments were made apart from refining the plan and moving the golf clubhouse to the unfunded list.