The Mayor's Mixtape

The Mayor's Mixtape-Episode 31

• City of Pueblo

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Episode 31 of the Mayor's Mixtape talks budget for the City of Pueblo with a focus on capital improvement projects. What is the difference with general fund dollars and enterprise funds? How can interest gained on 1/2 cent sales tax dollars be used? What does the City do with Colorado Lottery funds? Mayor Graham explains the details of the 2025 budget as we look ahead to budget planning for 2026. 

 Like, subscribe and share the podcast. Email your questions or topic suggestions to mayor@pueblo.us. 

Haley Sue Robinson:

Okay. Welcome to the 31st episode of the Mayor's Mixtape.

Mayor, Heather Graham:

Afternoon edition.

Haley Sue Robinson:

Afternoon edition. I am Haley Sue Robinson, Director of Public Affairs.

Mayor, Heather Graham:

I'm Heather Graham, City of Plavo Mayor. Pueblo. Jeez. Sorry.

Haley Sue Robinson:

We're still in Pueblo. It's the afternoon. We're still in Pueblo.

Mayor, Heather Graham:

Okay. Pueblo. I added like two L's and three O's.

Haley Sue Robinson:

We've had our coffee already. You can tell it's afternoon. We're ready to go.

Mayor, Heather Graham:

We're ready.

Haley Sue Robinson:

Okay, don't forget you can email us your topic suggestions or questions, mayor@pueblo.us. And you can find this podcast on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, BuzzSprout, wherever you get your podcasts. And you can also watch on channel 17. So Mayor, last week we talked quite a bit about the budget. And I thought one thing in particular that might be helpful for folks to understand is uh the capital improvement project budget.

Mayor, Heather Graham:

Yep.

Haley Sue Robinson:

And this is something that's also come up quite a bit in your town halls. So I thought maybe we could dig into that a little bit this week. Um can you explain how some of these capital improvements are brought forward or how or why they're approved?

Mayor, Heather Graham:

Sure. So starting, um, how do we pay for these capital projects, right? So um in previous years when the city had taken in a lot of money during COVID, um, we had lots of money that was spent in capital. So roads, right? At least $10 million a year in roads, um, and up to $20 and $30 million in capital, just over all different infrastructure projects um throughout the city. Last year and this year, um, we've used a specific fund. So per the half cent sales tax um ballot measure ordinance, the city can use the interest that is made every year off of the the balance of the half-cent sales tax for capital improvement projects. So it's about $3.5 million a year that we used last year, um, and that it's gonna be slated for 2026's budget um without using any additional general fund dollars in those capital lines.

Haley Sue Robinson:

But that's not necessarily something we can bank on every year because it's it's based on

Mayor, Heather Graham:

Dependent on the the fund balance.

Haley Sue Robinson:

Okay. So at this point, that is a good use of the funds because we have a higher.

Mayor, Heather Graham:

It's the only use of the funds, so you can only use it for capital improvement projects in the city.

Haley Sue Robinson:

I just mean it's a good use of the funds because there's uh

Mayor, Heather Graham:

We don't have any money.

Haley Sue Robinson:

Well, yeah. So you're getting creative.

Mayor, Heather Graham:

Yep.

Haley Sue Robinson:

Okay. Um but then how are those projects brought forward or how do they get approved?

Mayor, Heather Graham:

Sure. So um when we have our budget meetings with the directors, um part of their budget, when they bring reclassifications, um operating projects that they they're gonna need in their budget for, the next year they also bring a list of capital improvement projects. Um so each department is kind of different, right? So our smaller departments, like our city clerk's office or our municipal court, uh their capital improvement requests are very small. Um, you know, it might be last year we purchased a car for a municipal court because their car that they were using to transport um individuals was very old. So that was a capital request that came through that I okayed through the budget process. So you see the larger capital asks from public works, right? All the roads, all the infrastructure. You see a large number of capital improvement asks from the parks department, but the city also receives um one point about $1.4 million every year from lottery funds from the state. And those dollars can only be used for uh park-specific things. So we like to use the $1.4 million for capital for our parks um every year. So that really frees up the the $3.5 million uh to be used mainly mainly for infrastructure projects.

Haley Sue Robinson:

So like those lottery funds, an example of that would be the slab.

Mayor, Heather Graham:

The slab, yep.

Haley Sue Robinson:

Okay. Um and I know we've seen

Mayor, Heather Graham:

parks equipment, yeah, um, pool equipment, any kind of uh anything.

Haley Sue Robinson:

Just like parks improvements.

Mayor, Heather Graham:

Parks improvements, yep. Yeah. That money can be slated for.

Haley Sue Robinson:

But um so then that allows our capital improvement project funds to really serve public works.

Mayor, Heather Graham:

Yep. Public works, police, fire. Sure. Um, you know, if you go to in our in our budget book, if you go to the capital capital improvement plan line item, you can see the detail. Um you can it'll tell you the project starting off where it's funded from. Um so whether it's general fund, the economic development interest that I talked about, the E911, enterprise funds from wastewater or stormwater, um highway user funds, and then lottery funds is the CTF line.

Haley Sue Robinson:

Even um some of the enterprise funds would be from the golf courses.

Mayor, Heather Graham:

Or the golf courses, yep.

Haley Sue Robinson:

Like I know one uh project that was completed this year was the cart path renovation. Um that was a question that you actually received at one of your town halls was can we use some of the excess funds from the enterprise of the golf courses to fund roads?

Mayor, Heather Graham:

Yeah, no. You can't mix the money.

Haley Sue Robinson:

Okay. I thought that was I I think that's a a fairly good ask though for folks to understand how the budget work. Why, why does this pot of money go towards this? Because the individual who asked said, you know, hey, I'm not a golfer.

Mayor, Heather Graham:

Yeah.

Haley Sue Robinson:

Um I don't want to have to pay into that. And I think the way that you explained it was it's okay you don't.

Mayor, Heather Graham:

Yeah.

Haley Sue Robinson:

Uh the the funds that are generated is based on someone like myself, I am a golfer. So when I go play at Walking Stick or Elmwood, it's my uh tea time and then my greens fees and the the cost of the carts.

Mayor, Heather Graham:

Yep.

Haley Sue Robinson:

And that's what makes up the enterprise fund. So regular everyday folks who don't play golf aren't paying into that enterprise fund. Yeah.

Mayor, Heather Graham:

Yeah.

Haley Sue Robinson:

Um But I think that's a good question for folks to understand how does this budget work? Why are some funds earmarked in certain ways or why can't we mix them?

Mayor, Heather Graham:

Right. Yeah. And then, you know, since I became the mayor, one one thing that I really wanted to focus on um is making sure that the projects that were uh asked by directors are completed within that calendar year, right? Like if you're going to do um, let's see here, one like the technology upgrades, right? We budgeted $1.5 million. We uh we met in March, we met again halfway through the year to make sure that those funds are gonna be expensed uh through the 2025 budget.

Haley Sue Robinson:

Okay.

Mayor, Heather Graham:

Because I think people want to see tangible items with their tax dollars. Um they don't want to see this revolving ongoing um fund that you're just putting like twenty thousand dollars in every year uh until you get to that million dollars to get this project done right because at that point the project's way more expensive than it was when you started, and I think people like to see what their tax dollars are being spent on right away.

Haley Sue Robinson:

Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. Um so can you explain some of the projects that have been completed this year as part of the capital improvement projects in 2025?

Mayor, Heather Graham:

Um you know, one of the big is uh the city city building repairs if people have been to uh or for City Hall security upgrades. I'm sorry, if you've been to City Hall lately, um you see that we now have um the metal detectors on on both sides. Um obviously it's a government building trying to make it more safe for the people who work in this building and the people who come to this building. Um and also uh City Hall is an event space. So uh Memorial Hall was rented out for concerts or events to really just help with security and safety.

Haley Sue Robinson:

Yeah.

Mayor, Heather Graham:

Um so we've seen that that one's been done. We allocated uh $350,000 for the drones as first responders. And I know you and I did the podcast from the real-time crime center where we got to see one of those drones. Um so that that project will be completed this year. Um the the small SUV for municipal court, we talked about the fence around El Centro, um the restroom fence on the backside. Um that was completed. Um we've allocated $200,000 a year to the fire stations, um, the older fire stations who aren't three of the new ones, um, to to help with some of the safety measures that need to happen. Okay. Um in those uh those older stations. So um let's see here. Citywide cleanup projects, two hundred thousand dollars. So we use that as a capital improvement plan when we do our two large citywide cleanup projects to pay for all uh the dumpsters, the dump, um, anytime we do the tree removal um because of the storms, that also comes out of that money.

Haley Sue Robinson:

I think um that's one thing in particular. So if you look in the in the budget line detail, um I think it's actually on your next page, and there's a line item, and it is consistent for the next five years, and it's two hundred thousand dollars each year. It's part of the five-year plan project detail chart. Um why is it two hundred thousand each year?

Mayor, Heather Graham:

For the fire stations?

Haley Sue Robinson:

Oh. Um No, no, for the no, for the cleanups.

Mayor, Heather Graham:

Oh, for the cleanups. I that's I think that that's um

Haley Sue Robinson:

just so it remains consistent and

Mayor, Heather Graham:

so that we can we we know that we want to allocate um taxpayer dollars to help clean up the city.

Haley Sue Robinson:

And those are specific to like what we normally have is May and October. So we have one coming up next month.

Mayor, Heather Graham:

Yep.

Haley Sue Robinson:

Um so essentially that just lets folks know, hey, this isn't a one-time or one-year project. This is an ongoing project, which will be completed each year. We'll spend $200,000 each year, but we'll do it for the foreseeable future.

Mayor, Heather Graham:

Yeah. Until the community's clean.

Haley Sue Robinson:

Okay, cool. Um let's see.

Mayor, Heather Graham:

You can see like, you know, when you go through this, you can see a lot you can see all the budget requests, right? So um the ones that were unfunded, obviously because the dollar amount was too large.

Haley Sue Robinson:

Sure.

Mayor, Heather Graham:

Um, or there was something else that came from that department that was more needed in the immediate higher priority. Yeah, but they put all of their um all their projects for a five-year and that's what we submit.

Haley Sue Robinson:

And I think one thing that's important for a lot of folks is if they don't have a uh in-hand budget book like what we do.

Mayor, Heather Graham:

Most people don't, yeah.

Haley Sue Robinson:

Right. You can find it online. And actually, um we went through the Open Gov process a couple years ago, and it's it's much more easily readable and accessible. I feel like before you had like the little charts and you were kind of squinting and looking, and it's it's a lot easier. You can go by each department, you can l work look in the public works or stormwater, um, and go line by line and find all of all of those things. Um anything else about capital improvement budget that you think folks don't understand or that you'd like them to understand better?

Mayor, Heather Graham:

Uh you know, for for next year we have some some great projects that have been um asked to come forward. So City Council will see those on the 20th. Uh they'll be at the planning and uh zoning board. That's also part of our charter that we have to submit the capital requests. Um and for next year and for as many years as we can, as we have that um interest, we are going to be making the payment for PMJC for the air conditioner, right? Because that's a capital improvement to the building.

Haley Sue Robinson:

Right.

Mayor, Heather Graham:

Um, and then the um payment for um what we're gonna be calling CAB, the City Annex Building, which is gonna house all of our other departments, um, we'll be making those payments uh because they are capital improvement projects from this capital improvement um allocated interest. And so that's um that's also gonna save uh the general fund on taking the hit for those two uh larger projects.

Haley Sue Robinson:

That's exciting.

Mayor, Heather Graham:

Yeah.

Haley Sue Robinson:

Okay, great.

Mayor, Heather Graham:

Yeah, we think it's a great use of of the fund.

Haley Sue Robinson:

And I think um another thing that is kind of exciting, it's it's a capital improvement project, not necessarily from general fund balance, but um we just posted about it.

Mayor, Heather Graham:

Yeah.

Haley Sue Robinson:

Is the start of the um Central Turf soccer field. And that was funded through ARPA dollars. We saw a lot of ARPA dollars um funded towards capital improvement projects, also funded by PURA, District 60, uh the Central High School Foundation. Um, but that's finally started.

Mayor, Heather Graham:

Finally underway, yeah. The cranes are there, move the dirt. Hopefully they're going to finish that um that project by the end of the year. So those super excited, and thanks to the authority and uh District 60, it was a three-way split um led by TJ Tebow. Yeah, you know, he came in and knocked on all of our doors and essentially said how how can we get this project done? Um I think it's a great addition to the area, and it's gonna be a uh a multi-turf field, so it can be used by anybody in the community. Um so we're we're looking forward to that.

Haley Sue Robinson:

I think it'll be exciting, especially in that neighborhood. Um you know, a lot of folks we've heard from people saying it's difficult to access soccer fields or get field space. Yeah. But I mean, even for lacrosse or just generally speaking in the neighborhood, yeah. We have lots of parks, however, we don't have lots of turf fields, and I think that's a unique addition to the area, and I'm excited to see it coming. Yeah. So um looking forward to seeing that completed. It will be great. Yeah, okay. Um, we have some upcoming events. Uh this Thursday, October 2nd, at 5 30. You will be joining uh Commissioner Swearingen, uh DA Beauvais, uh Sheriff Lucero, and Chief Noeller for Public Safety and Crime at the Sangre de Cristo Arts Center.

Mayor, Heather Graham:

Yeah, we were city was asked to come and talk about public safety um and especially public safety in schools. Okay. You know what what we do as the police department with our SROs, what schools they're in, how we decide what schools. Um that's really the focus that the commissioner asked us to come talk about.

Haley Sue Robinson:

Cool. I think that'll be exciting. And that's open to the public.

Mayor, Heather Graham:

Open to the public. 5 30 art center.

Haley Sue Robinson:

Great. Um also next week you have another town hall, CSU Pueblo. Yeah. Uh Tuesday, October 7th, also at 5 30, Occhiato Student Center in the ballroom. Um I know they're they're technically in District 2, and so uh you'll probably talk about some district two specific projects, but maybe kind of overall what's going on in the city and hear from the students and find out what their questions are too. Uh and then also uh, you know, upcoming we'll probably announce this quite a bit, and that way people will say I knew about it and I could I could participate is the Team Up to Clean Up the um twice annual event that we do. So we'll have three locations CSU Pueblo, uh Colorado State Fairgrounds, and then Recycle Works for Green Waste. That's on Saturday, October 18th. And we do that from 8 to 3.

Mayor, Heather Graham:

Yep.

Haley Sue Robinson:

So that'll be exciting too.

Mayor, Heather Graham:

It's always a good time.

Haley Sue Robinson:

Yeah, we we always have a good time.

Mayor, Heather Graham:

Makes you feel accomplished after you?

Haley Sue Robinson:

It does. Yeah.

Mayor, Heather Graham:

You know, you're usually out there uh picking up trash and

Haley Sue Robinson:

mattresses and couches and whatever else.

Mayor, Heather Graham:

Yeah, it's a good day for the community.

Haley Sue Robinson:

It is a good day. Um any other upcoming events?

Mayor, Heather Graham:

Oh, tonight we have uh the chamber and um League of Women Voters and NAACP, I think the it's a three-way kind of for the debates. For the debates. Um they're gonna be hosted at Hoag Hall at PCC. So tonight we have school board, 60 and 70, district three candidates, um, and the ballot measure. So I'll be there um debating the anti-mayors. And then tomorrow night we have district one at large and am I what am I forgetting? Civil service commission.

Haley Sue Robinson:

And water board.

Mayor, Heather Graham:

And water boards tonight.

Haley Sue Robinson:

Oh, water boards tonight.

Mayor, Heather Graham:

Water boards tonight. So civil service commission tomorrow night, same place. Um debates start at five o'clock. So those are always a good time to come in. Um just learn what your candidates um what what they you know foresee in their future.

Haley Sue Robinson:

Uh I know last week we attended the Latino Chamber um candidate forum luncheon. Uh there's lots of opportunities coming up in the coming weeks to stay informed and find out who your candidate is, depending on what district you live in, um, or if you're city versus county, um what you're voting for for a district sixty and district seventy school board and and how that affects all of us. So yeah, it'll be exciting. I'm sure we'll see you at all of them.

Mayor, Heather Graham:

Oh, it's like my favorite time of the year, election time.

Haley Sue Robinson:

Okay. Great. Uh any other upcoming events or things we need to know about? There's always more to know.

Mayor, Heather Graham:

Yeah, I'm pretty booked every night this week. So and next week and the week after. So it's a lot of stuff going on in in our community, a lot of cool events coming up. And so Art Center has their groundbreaking on Friday for uh their new elevator and maybe some other improvements that they're gonna be doing uh to the side improvements.

Haley Sue Robinson:

Yeah, so that's also Oh, and on Friday

Mayor, Heather Graham:

and tomorrow, hello. That's why I'm like, I know I'm I'm so booked.

Haley Sue Robinson:

I can't believe we forgot that one. Yeah, so Lucero Library opens October 1st. We are really excited about that.

Mayor, Heather Graham:

Tomorrow, very cool. We got to see a sneak preview of it when it was well under construction. So um looking forward to see all the great work that they did over there.

Haley Sue Robinson:

I knew we were forgetting something. I was like, there's something else. And I knew it was this week. Uh great, yeah. So we have a lot, a lot going on, and very excited to celebrate a lot of good things going on in the community. Agreed. Okay, um, well, I guess that's all the time we have for now. Okay. Uh, don't forget you can email us your questions or topic suggestions, mayor@pueblo.us, and you can find our podcasts on YouTube, Apple, Spotify, um, Buzzsprout, wherever you get your podcasts, and on local channel 17. We'll see you next week.