DUBLIN — The city council unanimously approved last week about $220 million in funding for city improvement projects, including items that address climate change, parks and streets, through fiscal year 2026-27.
The latest approval for Dublin’s Capital Improvement Program (CIP), updated every two years along with the city’s overall budget, allocated funding which includes $23 million for citywide energy improvements, $24.8 million for the Don Biddle Community Park and $23 million for annual street resurfacing.
Dublin’s citywide energy projects include 10 new solar installations, four new battery-storage sites, and building efficiency upgrades, according to the city’s website.
Following a city council draft update review last month, staff also added $1 million to the library tenants project and $50,000 to build a shade structure at Stagecoach Park, said Michael Boitnott, CIP manager.
“(Streets) are where the lion’s share of this year’s CIP funds are being spent,” continued Boitnott, who called attention to $24.6 million in the upcoming fiscal year for right-of-way and environmental-impact land purchases for the Dublin Boulevard Extension project between Fallon Road and North Canyons Parkway. The 1.5 miles of new boulevard will add four to six travel lanes, bike lanes, sidewalks, lighting and landscaping islands to east Dublin.
As the largest CIP funding source, the city’s General Fund will provide $65.5 million, or about 30% of the program’s funds, with large contributions also coming from special revenues, public facilities fees, and transportation impact fees.
Collection of impact fees, however, will depend on city development proceeding as planned, and improvement projects tied to impact fees may experience delays if corresponding development slows, according to the staff report.
Four percent of funding remains unidentified.
While the update allocated $500,000 toward a new marquee sign for downtown Dublin at the intersection of Village Parkway and Dublin Boulevard, Mayor Melissa Hernandez recalled some $600,000 promised for the sign by Trumark Homes, the developer of the 573-unit East Ranch project in east Dublin.
Trumark, however, entered the agreement prior to a referendum that rescinded several project approvals last year, said City Manager Linda Smith, who believed that the referendum also caused the city to lose the downtown sign contribution.
Trumark has since continued forward with the project, now known as Francis Ranch, as a Housing Accountability Act project consistent with the city’s objective standards.
For the period beyond 2027, staff also identified future projects costing an estimated $209.3 million, including electric-vehicle charging stations, a downtown town square park and later phases of the Dublin Boulevard extension.
“Of that, there’s about $115 million that is unidentified funding,” said Boitnott. “Most of that is in the traffic section, where we’re looking to pursue grants to fill those gaps.”
